A 16-year-old Lincoln high school student was charged with a felony in juvenile court this week after a school resource officer discovered a disassembled gun in his backpack on school property.
The student at Lincoln Southeast High School was arrested for possession of a firearm on school property around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The student was allegedly found in the visitor’s parking lot on the west side of the building with the parts to a .22mm rifle and dozens of rounds of ammunition in his bag.
The student was in a meeting with his parents on school grounds Tuesday to discuss his most recent suspension when he left the building upset, according to court documents. The school’s resource officer followed the student to the parking lot, where the student demanded his father come unlock the vehicle so he could retrieve his backpack from the backseat.
His father arrived outside and began going through the juvenile’s belongings, uncovering what appeared to be the parts to a Smith and Wesson .22mm rifle. A search of the backpack also revealed a magazine for the rifle that contained 25 rounds of ammunition.
Officers also found an additional 53 rounds of .22 ammunition in the bag, along with 16 rounds of 9mm bullets and a single round of .38 caliber ammunition.
The student claimed the weapon belonged to his brother, who lives in Omaha. He said he came across the rifle parts in a car at his father’s home and collected the pieces to keep them away from his nieces and nephews.
He also admitted to attempting to put the rifle together at one point, but said he was unable to. The student denied having any intention of using the firearm or harming anyone.
The teenager was lodged in the Lancaster County Youth Services Center and is being charged in juvenile court. Lincoln Public Schools said in a letter to families sent Tuesday afternoon that the student will also face consequences at school.
The Lincoln Police Department is working alongside Southeast to continue investigating the incident, LPS said.
Reach Jenna Ebbers at 402-473-2657 or jebbers@journalstar.com.
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Jenna Ebbers
K-12 education reporter
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