Teacher Hurt When Gun Fires in Student Backpack

Students at a Knoxville, Tennessee high school were briefly placed on “medium” lockdown when a gun “unintentionally” fired in a student’s backpack. A teacher suffered a graze wound in the incident which was described as “very minor.”  The 14-year-old student was arrested and charged in a juvenile petition with reckless endangerment, reckless aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon on school grounds.

The  school’s principal sent a letter about 10:20 a.m. to parents after the gun discharged.  The letter did not mention a gun being involved, describing the situation as an “incident” and said it “involved an extremely loud noise. … Law enforcement and School Security have investigated and determined there to be no threat.”  The superintendent said, “[k]ids were safe today, and we’re thankful for the way they reacted to that.”

Source:

“KPD: Teacher Grazed by Bullet Fired in West High School Classroom, 14-year-old Student Charged,” wbir.com (April 28, 2023).