Nassau police charge teen after loaded gun found in backpack at Uniondale High School

Nassau County police arrested and charged a 17-year-old-boy after security officers at Uniondale High School found a loaded handgun in his backpack Wednesday, the department said.

A metal detector at the school's entrance identified "a loaded weapon" in the student's backpack when he tried to enter the campus on Goodrich Street, district Superintendent of Schools Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil said in a letter to the school community.

The school’s security team detained the student and confiscated the weapon, the superintendent said. The district then contacted the Nassau police, who arrived and took the student into custody.

Nassau police arrested and charged the teenager with criminal possession of a firearm and the criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to the department's news release.

The Uniondale student, who the police did not identify, is scheduled for arraignment Thursday at the Youth Part of First District Court in Hempstead.

District spokesperson Ron Edelson could not immediately state whether the student had arrived at the high school on a bus when reached by telephone Wednesday afternoon. While he did not immediately know the exact consequences the student will face at the school, Edelson said the district "will take appropriate action based on the student code of conduct."

The district is cooperating with Nassau police and "cannot discuss further specifics," Darrisaw-Akil said in the letter. She added that parents with "additional concerns at this time," should not hesitate to call her office or the principal of their child’s school building.

"Safety and security are paramount to our District," Darrisaw-Akil said in the letter. "This dedication is why we have measures such as metal detectors and a vigilant security team in place. Today’s incident highlighted the importance of these measures. We commend our security team for its actions to keep our students and staff safe and secure."