UPDATE: Handgun found at Desert Wind Middle School, 8th grader in custody

A 13-year-old male student is in custody after twice discharging a handgun at a bus stop and then bringing the gun on campus at Desert Wind Middle School, according to Sgt. Stephen Judd, Maricopa Police Department.

Judd said the suspect, an 8th grader at Desert Wind, was at a bus stop in the 4400 block of West Hayden Road at about 9:10 a.m. today when more than a dozen witnesses saw him fire the gun into the air. He fired a second round into the ground, and a piece of shrapnel from the bullet or gravel kicked up and struck one of the students who was standing nearby. The student wasn’t seriously injured and was treated by the school nurse at Desert Wind Middle School, Judd said.

Afterwards, the suspect then placed the gun in his backpack and rode the bus to school, stashing the gun on campus.

Tom Beckett, Maricopa Unified School District spokesman, said school officials were made aware of the incident by a student who came to the front office to report a classmate who might be in possession of a weapon. The school was placed on lock down for several hours while Maricopa Police investigated the incident. Officers found the semi-automatic handgun, unloaded, against the fence line on campus. Judd said the weapon had been reported stolen.

Steven Joy, a resident of the Homestead subdivision, called into InMaricopa after seeing a photo of the gun online. “My house was broken into on Monday at about 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon,” Joy said. He said multiple items were taken from the home, including the handgun.

Judd said the student is being held at the Pinal County juvenile detention facility on several weapon charges, but the investigation is continuing. “We have have made an arrest and we’re confident that the campus is safe,” Judd said. “School officials did an excellent job. They followed district procudues and did everything right. Kudos to them.”

Beckett echoed Judd’s comments. “We’re very appreciative of the principal and staff at the school,” he said. “And the students who came forward should be commended.”

Photo by Jim Williams