Boy Brings Gun To Youth Camp At Evanston Township High School: Cops

EVANSTON, IL — A middle school-aged boy who brought a loaded gun to a summer camp at Evanston Township High School Friday has been referred to juvenile court, police said.

After a camper alerted staff that he had a gun in his possession, staff took it from him and called Evanston police around 8:30 a.m., according to police.

Officers dispatched to the high school's campus took custody of the gun and discovered it was loaded, and the boy was taken to the police station for questioning by detectives, police said.

Investigators determined the boy had brought the gun to camp to show his friends, according to statement from police. There were no injuries and there was no evidence that he planned on harming anyone intentionally.

"It is unclear why the juvenile decided to alert camp staff he had a gun. It is also unclear at this time where he got the gun," police said.

Evanston Township High School Superintendent and Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton described the program as an "outside camp rental."

"We appreciate the camper alerting us to the situation to keep all of the campers safe from harm," Witherspoon said in a statement.

Horton said the incident did not occur in any of District 65 summer learning programs, and there is no current threat to any of its programs or to ETHS.

"Given that a middle school student was involved," Horton said, "our school and district-based teams will work with the family and our colleagues at ETHS and Camp staff to ensure support is provided to the greatest extent possible."

Police said they are continuing to investigate the incident and asked anyone with information about it to contact detectives at 847-866-5050.