Middle School Student, 12, Faces Charges After Showing Off Replica Gun to School

Police say this replica gun was brought by a student to Earle B. Wood Middle School in Rockville | MCPD

A 12-year-old boy who attends Earle B. Wood Middle School has been charged after he waved a replica gun Wednesday in the school’s auditorium, a Montgomery County police statement said.

The boy, unnamed in the statement, was charged with threat of mass violence, disrupting school activities and threatening others with bodily harm, police said.

The incident occurred about 3:30 p.m. when an officer responded to the school, at 14615 Bauer Drive in Rockville, police said.

The officer found that about 120 students were in an extra-curricular activity in the auditorium when the boy entered the auditorium and approached a group of girl students.

The boy then took what appeared to be a real gun from his backpack and began to show the group the gun, police said. He told the group that the “safety was on” and began to point the gun around the auditorium, police said.

The students in the group started to scream which drew more attention to the student with the gun.  Students began to panic and run, police said.

Several students approached one of the teachers in the auditorium and told her that the boy had a gun.  The teacher directed the children to go and seek shelter behind the stage, police said.

The teacher found the boy sitting on a mat, holding the gun with his finger on the trigger, police said. The teacher directed the student to give her the gun. The student put the gun back in his bookbag and gave the teacher the bookbag, police said.

A closer inspection of the gun by the teacher revealed that the gun was plastic and had been spray painted black.

The student was arrested by the responding officer and transported to the Wheaton police station. He was released to his guardian, police said.

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