Boy, 14, to answer gun charge tomorrow
WESTERN BUREAU — The 14 year-old Westmoreland boy who has been charged with illegal possession of firearm and assault in connection with a gun-toting incident on the Manning’s High School grounds earlier this month, is scheduled to return to court tomorrow.
The boy, who was slapped with the charges after he reportedly pointed a handgun in the direction of the school’s security guard, was remanded in custody and given the new court date when he appeared in the Savanna-la-Mar Juvenile Court last week.
The police said he was among the three teens involved in the incident on the school grounds.
According to the police, at about 1:30 pm on June 7 a security guard, employed to Alpha Security company, who was on duty at the school, held and searched two boys after they reportedly robbed a student at knife-point.
Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) liaison officer for the parish, Sergeant Alva Douglas said the guard confiscated two knives from the boys and ordered them to leave the compound. But he said the two returned about half an hour later, accompanied by the 14 year-old who was recently suspended from a high school in the parish.
The 14 year-old allegedly pulled a handgun from his pants waist and pointed it in the direction of the security guard who then fired two shots from his revolver. The boys then fled the compound.
The Savanna-la-Mar police later that day went to the Dalling Street area where the 14 year -old boy was found suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital where the guard identified him as the person who had pointed the gun in his direction.
Three days later, the police held a 17 year-old boy, who they believed was among the three teens involved in the incident.
Douglas said the 17 year-old was, however, later released by the police because there was insufficient evidence to charge him.
The police are still searching for the third teenager who was at the scene.
Meanwhile, their search for the firearm allegedly used by the 14 year-old in the incident has so far been futile.