Police on St. Thomas say a loaded firearm was found on the campus of the Charlotte Amalie High School Monday morning. The recovery of a weapon and apprehension of a student believed to be in possession of it follows a series of arrests by authorities last week of students charged in connection with a series of bomb threats called in to schools over the past month.
Announcement of the latest law enforcement action appeared late Monday morning on the V.I. Police Department social media page. “During a routine random search on Monday, school personnel discovered a loaded firearm in a student’s possession. Protocols were immediately enacted, and the weapon was confiscated without delay in full coordination with the VIPD,” the report said.
There was no mention of any changes in Monday’s school operations at CAHS; there was also no mention of any arrest. Instead, the initial statement said the student found in possession of the weapon would be subject to “the appropriate disciplinary consequences and legal action as outlined in VIDE policies and Virgin Islands law.”
This incident follows a Nov. 7 incident on the campus of St. Croix Central High School where a 17-year-old student was arrested with a loaded firearm hidden in a backpack. Officers from the School Security Bureau took action after receiving reports about a student threatening to shoot anyone who approached them.
The weapon was reportedly confiscated and the suspect was remanded to the Youth Rehabilitation Center, charged with concealed or open carry of a firearm.
