Pittsburg Police Arrest Junior High Student in Possession of Firearm on Campus

On Tuesday morning, the Pittsburg Police Department arrested a student from Hillview Junior High student after they were found in possession of a handgun on campus.

According to Captain Steve Albanese, they could only release limited information on Wednesday, but said the School Resource Officer was advised by school administrators they had information that a student of the school had brought a handgun onto campus.  The School Resource Officer contacted the student and safely secured the student and the handgun.

“The collaborative effort with the school’s staff and the quick work by officers brought this situation to a closure with no one hurt, the handgun located and the student in police custody.   Officer are still working to determine how the student came into possession of the handgun,” said Albanese

Albanese added that properly securing firearms when not in use was the number 1 way to prevent accidents, thefts and misuse. It’s a simple step that can make a real difference in making your home and community safer.

“Maintaining the safety of our students is a priority for the Pittsburg Police Department and the Pittsburg Unified School District.  Together we will continue our work towards this.”

Several parents, however, expressed concern in the delayed notification by the District regarding the incident and the lack of information still being available.

According to Superintendent Janet Schulze, they sent the message out as soon as we were able to after the incident/investigation.

Here is the a copy of the auto dialer that was sent out by the District.

Hillview Community,

Today a student was arrested for having a gun in his possession on campus. When the school administration became aware of the possibility of this, they immediately worked with the Pittsburg Police Department to develop a plan to investigate and quickly and safely secured the student and the gun.  Another student was also arrested as part of the investigation.

We are thankful for the communication at the school site and the partnership with the Pittsburg Police Department and our School Resource Officers for the outcome today: no one was hurt, the gun was found, and the young people in question are in police custody, and their families are aware.

While we are not stating that this was the case in this situation: this is a reminder to all of our families to be sure to secure any weapons you may have in your household and to check your child’s belongings.

Working together as a community is the best way to continue to maintain the safety for all of our students and staff.

Thank you,

Janet

Editors Note:

No information has been provided on the age of the student, how they came in contact with the firearm, the intention of the student who brought it to school or if it was loaded or not. It is unclear when police will issue additional information.