Suspect identified following handgun discovery
Days of fear and uncertainty about a loaded weapon being found on school grounds gave way to relief on Sunday as the Wills Point ISD announced that a suspect in the incident had been identified and banned from all school grounds following an investigation that included district personnel, the Wills Point Police Department, Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms among others.
Shortly after 9 p.m. Nov. 6, the Wills Point ISD issued an alert to parents and guardians with students in the district that a “staff member discovered a weapon in one of the building’s restrooms” prior to the close of the school day. The staff member who found the weapon notified administrators who then contacted local law enforcement officials to secure the scene and launch an investigation.
Rumors of what type of weapon had been discovered on campus circled around social media with speculation ranging from knife to a loaded handgun.
Early the following morning, district officials and the WPPD confirmed that the weapon referenced in the previous day’s notice had in fact been a loaded handgun, and that investigation involving the review of security footage in the career technology building, checking of the gun for fingerprints, and review of the gun’s serial number were well underway.
As an additional precaution, district officials asked for and received additional support units from the Department of Public Safety, WPPD and VZCSO on the high school campus for the safety of both staff and students.
The district subsequently provided a second update Nov. 7 advising “A loaded handgun was found in the trashcan of the boys’ restroom in the CTE building at approximately 3 p.m. by a district employee. The employee notified administrators who subsequently called the Wills Point Police Department. Shortly following the discovery of the weapon, district administrators swept the entire campus to ensure that no other weapons were onsite and the WPPD secured the scene to begin their investigation. The investigation is continuing as ATF traces the firearm, DPS is fingerprinting the firearm, video surveillance is being reviewed, and VZCSO, WPPD, and DPS are remaining on scene the remainder of the day. Over the next several days, additional police presence will be made available throughout the district. WPISD has announced a reward for any student providing information leading to an arrest.”
The WPPD also weighed in advising, "We can confirm that we do have reliable leads involving the investigation and suspect of the incident. We do not feel that there is an immediate threat to WPISD at this time. However, the incident is still under investigation and students are still being encouraged to report any knowledge that they have of the incident."
Administrators provided an update to the situation on Sunday afternoon, noting that a suspect had been identified and barred from the WPISD campus.
A message sent out to parents/guardians read "[the] WPISD has conducted a thorough investigation to determine the identity of the individual connected to the recent discovery of a loaded handgun. The gun was found by a school custodian in the boy’s restroom of the CTE building located on the high school campus. Based on the investigation conducted by the Wills Point ISD, the district is confident in their discovery of the perpetrator. At present the individual has been removed from the school campus and prohibited from all properties within the WPISD."
As of press time, the WPPD confirmed that the suspect in question is a minor, and that facets of the investigation were still ongoing before the case would be closed.
