Utah Boy, Scared By Conn. Shooting, Brings Gun To School

Sixth-grader has been detained on assault and weapons charges

An 11-year-old Salt Lake City, Utah boy, who said he brought a gun to school to protect himself from a Connecticut-style attack, has been detained and charged with possession of a deadly weapon on school property, a school spokesman said on Tuesday. The sixth-grader, who is not being named publicly, took an unloaded .22-caliber handgun to school in his backpack on Monday, then pointed the weapon at three classmates during recess. Some ammunition was found in his backpack, but the rounds did not appear to go with the gun. No one was injured in the incident, which undoubtedly jolted the school’s community, as the nation remained shocked by the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. last week. The boy was briefly questioned and spent Monday night in juvenile detention on the possession charge and on three counts of aggravated assault for brandishing the weapon at classmates. He was also suspended from school indefinitely. Last Friday, a 20-year-old Adam Lanza forced his way into the Connecticut school and killed 6- and 7-year-old schoolchildren, before turning the gun on himself. (Reuters)

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