9-year-old Arizona student facing felony charges for allegedly bringing gun to school

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — A 9-year-old student who allegedly brought a gun to a Queen Creek, Arizona, school in August is facing federal charges.

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According to The Associated Press, Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer announced Monday that they are planning to bring felony charges against a 9-year-old student who allegedly brought a loaded gun to school in August. The attorney’s office said the boy is facing charges of being a minor in possession of a firearm and interfering with or disruption of an educational institution.

In court records obtained by the AP, the student allegedly took a gun to the Legacy Traditional Academy in Queen Creek, Arizona, on Aug. 25 that had about 16 rounds of ammunition in the magazine. According to KNXV, both are felonies.

According to Queen Creek police records obtained by KNXV, the student allegedly put the gun in his backpack for protection from other students who were bothering him. He allegedly told investigators that he brought the gun to school one day, left it in his backpack overnight and got caught with the gun the second day at school.

The student’s mother reportedly told police that the gun was in the house, but she had claimed that it was kept away from him in a top drawer of a dresser, according to KNXV.

According to KTVK, the attorney’s office has also reviewed possible charges submitted by the Queen Creek Police Department, but has decided that the student’s parents would not be charged with a crime.

According to KPNX, QCPD previously pressed charges against the parents, stating that they should face a charge of “contributing to the delinquency of the minor.” They also said they believed that the parents did not do enough to secure the gun in their house.

According to the AP, the student’s name has not been released because he is a minor

No further information has been released.

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