Student brings BB gun to DeKalb middle school

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A student brought a weapon to Salem Middle School in Lithonia on Wednesday.
 
DeKalb County school district officials told Channel 2 Action News county police found a BB gun when officers were searching the boy off-campus for an unrelated burglary charge.
 
A parent, who requested anonymity, said her daughter saw the weapon.
 
"It looked real. He was saying that it was real. He wasn't saying that it was a BB gun. He was saying that he had .45-caliber gun," she said.
 
The mother also told Channel 2's Erica Byfield school officials knew about the weapon before police arrived.
 
She said her daughter told her the boy had the gun in his backpack and showed it to several students in the morning, and students reported the weapon to staff members.
 
The eighth grader was arrested after lunch period.
 
"Like, literally kids were looking at it and reporting it. This is a middle school, so I just want to know when they are going to get control," the parent said.
 
Following Channel 2's inquiry about the weapon, Salem's principal sent parents a letter about the incident.
 
It wasn't the first report of a weapon at the school. Last school year, a 14-year-old brought a gun to school.

WSBTV