Student Who Brought Gun To School Had More Weapons At Home

(Updated at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday): CLARKSBURG, MD — Police found multiple weapons, ammunition and more at the home of a student who brought a loaded gun and knife to Clarksburg High School last week, prosecutors said in court Tuesday.

Alwin Chen, 18, was arrested Thursday, Feb. 15 for having a loaded, 9mm handgun and a knife on him at the school, police said. Chen was charged with possession of a handgun, possession of a firearm by a person under 21 years old and possession of a firearm on school property.

On Tuesday, Montgomery County Police said they found the following at Chen's home on Gunners Drive: two rifles, a shotgun, two handguns, ammunition, inert (replica) grenades, a ballistic vest, a replica electrical firing device (referred to as a clacker) and Chen's journal.

Media reports said Chen's journal contained a list of complaints against fellow students, but police said: "Detectives have reviewed the contents of Chen’s journal. There is no wording regarding any threat nor any expression of wanting to cause harm to anyone at the school in this journal."

A School Resource Officer (SRO) received information that Chen might have brought a gun to the school. School security and the SRO pulled Chen out of class and brought him to the school office, where they asked Chen if he had a weapon on him. They then recovered the knife and loaded gun, police said.

Court documents state Chen told authorities he felt "anxious from social interactions between himself and students," according to ABC 7.

Chen's defense said he has no signs of mental health problems, and noted that he is an honor roll student with scholarship offers from two universities, ABC 7 reports. They also said the weapons found inside his home were not in his room, and are believed to have been purchased legally and licensed correctly.

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Detectives said they are working to confirm ownership of the seized guns. At this time, they believe the guns belonged to household members.

Prosecutors said Chen allegedly brought a gun to school once before, but it is unclear what happened during that incident. Police recommended that Chen “be further evaluated for signs of any mental illness before his release,” according to The Washington Post.

It's been a week since 17 people were gunned down at a Parkland, Florida high school, and in the days since Montgomery County schools have seen a rash of threats. At least six schools in the county have received threats since the shooting.

On Tuesday, police said they were investigating a rumored threat made towards Gaithersburg High School. On Wednesday morning, Winston Churchill High School in Potomac and Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda were evacuated after an anonymous person phoned in bomb threats.

Chen is being held on a no bond status, police said. This remains an ongoing investigation and detectives continue to work with the State’s Attorney’s Office and Montgomery County Public Schools.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Firearms Investigations Unit at 240.773.6400.

Photos via Montgomery County Police Department