(Updated) City police have arrested two students after one brought a BB gun to Wilbur Cross on Wednesday — leading to reports of a student with a firearm, and a subsequent school-wide lockdown.
The New Haven Police Department announced those arrests in a press release posted to the social media site X at 9:10 p.m. Wednesday.
That press release states that, at around 12:46 p.m. Wednesday, the school resource officers assigned to Wilbur Cross High School “were contacted regarding a student possibly being in possession of a firearm.”
The school was immediately placed on lockdown “and officers worked to identify the student and any witnesses.”
Officers were unable at the time to confirm if the weapon “was real or a facsimile. They were able to determine that the student left the school shortly before the lockdown was initiated and as a result the lockdown was lifted, allowing students and staff to leave.”
Detectives canvassed the area and soon thereafter found the student they were looking for. He was found with a second student, who was in possession of a BB gun. “Both juveniles were taken into custody.”
The press release states that the student “who caused the lockdown” was charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds, threatening in the second degree, and breach of peace in the second degree. The student with the BB gun was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, interfering with an officer, and breach of peace in the second degree.
See below for an earlier version of this article.
Cross Lifts Lockdown After Gun Report
Wilbur Cross High School was put on lockdown for part of Wednesday afternoon as police investigated reports of a student with a gun.
Cops didn’t find a firearm and didn’t hear about any threats being made, according to a 1:29 p.m. post by the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) on the social media site X.
At 2:48 p.m., police posted on X that the lockdown had been lifted.
City police spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart told the Independent that, as of 3:30 p.m., police aren’t sure if a student actually brought a gun to Wilbur Cross. They’re still trying to figure that out.
He said that a student apparently showed a gun or something that looked like a gun to other students earlier in the day. Word spread from student to student that one of their peers had brought a gun to school. Ultimately, a teacher found out and alerted police.
By the time officers arrived at Wilbur Cross, Bruckhart said, the student who reportedly had a gun — or whatever might have looked like a gun — had already left the school.
School district spokesperson Justin Harmon expressed gratitude that everyone is safe, and thanked staff for remaining calm in a difficult situation and police for responding and investigating.
“We are confident that there are no weapons in the school building and we are encouraging families to send their students back to school tomorrow because we believe it is safe to do so,” he wrote to the Independent. “We will keep families updated as the police develop more information about what happened.”