Three weeks into the school year, two Nashville students have been charged after guns were found on two schools' campuses.
Pearl-Cohn High School's weapons detection system alerted school resource officers that a 15-year-old student had a 9mm handgun in his backpack, Metro Nashville Police said in a statement Aug. 31. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives previously listed the gun as stolen.
The sophomore was charged with carrying a gun on school property, juvenile handgun possession and theft of a firearm.
A school resource officer at East High School arrested a junior after he tried to ditch a backpack outside the school with a loaded, stolen handgun, police said Aug. 19.
"Officer Mario Ferrer watched the 16-year-old as he entered
the school with two backpacks. He made eye contact with the teen, who then turned around and walked back towards the parking lot," police said.
The student then went back inside but only carried one backpack.
Using the school's video surveillance footage, Ferrer was able to track the student's path to the cafeteria loading dock. Ferrer found the backpack with a gun reported stolen by a Texas woman who'd been staying at a rental property on Delaware Avenue.
The teen was charged with theft of a firearm, possession of a firearm on school property and juvenile handgun possession.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Weeks into school year, 2 Nashville students arrested on gun charges
