Cops said a former New Horizons student returned to the school to see the principal — packing heat.
It was the second gun incident in two days near a New Haven public school. A freshman was shot outside Hillhouse High after a basketball game Monday night.
The New Horizons incident happened on Tuesday. Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Dave Hartman:
At 11:14 a.m. on Tuesday, a cop and a security guard were on duty at the New Horizons School on Hallock Avenue. Police and school officials have increased security at schools after Monday’s shooting.
Classes had been dismissed at 11 a.m., due to mid-term testing. A few students remained, waiting for their bus.
A 21-year-old West Haven man — a former student — arrived and asked to speak to the principal. He had been an occasional visitor to the school.
Before he got past the school’s metal detector, a security guard patted him down and felt a gun-shaped object in his pocket. The man said it was an electronic device, then ran.
Police pursued the man to Greenwich Avenue, where detectives caught him after a struggle. Police recovered a revolver.
The man, a convicted felon, was charged with gun crimes, as well as interfering and trespassing. He had not made any threat while at the school.
Schools Superintendent Garth Harries released the following statement about the two recent gun incidents:
“Yesterday, a former student tried to visit his principal at New Horizons School and was discovered to have a gun at the security checkpoint. As we have seen in recent days, guns are a tragic reality in our community. However, in this incident and in the incident earlier this week outside of Hillhouse, our security and schools staff, working with police, have acted appropriately to be sure our students are safe in our schools.
“We have strong policies and procedures in place at all of our schools to protect students and staff from violence. We also recognize that we need to do more as a school district and as a community to stop youth violence before it begins and keep our students engaged in a positive way so they don’t resort to harmful pathways. I am deeply committed to that goal.”