NEWS

Lansing third-grader brings gun to school

Gun reported missing years ago

Christopher Behnan
Lansing State Journal

LANSING -  A Lansing third-grader was expelled last week after showing a gun to students in a boy’s bathroom, Lansing School District officials said.

The boy brought the gun, bullets and a magazine to Pleasant View Visual and Performing Arts Academy on Thursday, said Robert Kolt, the district's spokesman. Kolt said it was unclear if the gun was loaded.

One of the students who saw the gun alerted administrators, who contacted school public safety officers and Lansing police, Kolt said. The gun was recovered and the boy was taken to the Ingham County Youth Center, Kolt said.

No one was hurt.

The boy first said he found the gun in a pile of leaves, then said he got it from a cousin, Kolt said. A trace on the gun revealed it was reported missing several years ago, Kolt said. He said it was unclear how long the boy had the gun.

Kolt said it was unclear if any of the boy's family members might face weapons-related charges. He said parents were informed of the incident through a letter sent home with students.

In October, a student at the district's Woodcreek Achievement Center was arrested after a principal confiscated a handgun he brought to school. That school houses the district’s alternative education program for high school students, according to its website.

Contact Christopher Behnan at (517) 377-1261 or cbehnan@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter@LansingCB.