Ohio girl, 11, 'tired of getting picked on' brings loaded handgun on school bus
YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO: An 11-year-old girl who was found carrying a loaded gun on a school bus on Monday, September 26 told police she did it because she was sick of "always being picked on," as per reports. The student was booked into the Juvenile Justice Center on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon and illegal conveyance of a weapon in a school zone.
Police were called to a school bus stop at West Wood Street and Wick Avenue around 2.30 pm in response to a report of a gun on a school bus. According to WKBN, the driver was taking students to St Joseph the Provider school. As per the report by WFMJ Channel 21, the bus driver told police that he had taken the girl's gun after learning about it from another student. As per reports, the girl's bag contained her mother's 9mm semiautomatic handgun that was loaded with four rounds.
READ MORE
Video shows the SHOCKING moment 12-year-old New Orleans girl raised a gun after fight on school bus
The 11-year-old girl reportedly told officers that she was fed up being picked on when questioned about why she had the gun. She was later arrested and has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon, improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle and illegal conveyance of possession of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordinance in a school and safety zone.
According to WFMJ, a judge has mandated that the girl undergo a psychological and mental health assessment while she is being held in a juvenile Justice Center. An investigation into the case is still ongoing, according to a spokeswoman for the department's Family Services Investigative Unit, which looks into cases involving minors.
In another report by WTRF, Father Michael Swierz, the president of St Joseph the Provider school opened up about the incident a day after the11-year-old girl was discovered to have a loaded gun on the school bus in Youngstown as it was traveling home from the institution. In order to determine whether the student intended to use the gun, Swierz said he is awaiting the results of the Youngstown Police Department's investigation. He stated, "The bus driver told her to come up, bring the bag up front and she did so without any resistance or anything, and he took the gun from her. The fact is she brought it, and thank God she didn’t use it."
According to the girl's statement to the police, her mother gave her the gun. She also admitted to being bullied when speaking with the investigators. Bullying is not tolerated at all, according to Father Swierz. He claimed, "Every child, no matter who he or she is or no matter how old, we will protect them as best as we can from the dangers of bullying and everything that goes along with that." Swierz is unsure if the girl had the gun inside the school.
The school's administrators are currently investigating their legal options to better safeguard the institution. He said, "A metal detector or things like that. Not to scare the kids but to at least make the kids and their parents feel safe." The report says that Swierz has no complaints about how the circumstance was handled. He stated, "The way the Youngstown city bus driver handled it was to be applauded that he kept everyone on that bus safe as well as that individual child."