Fourth Juvenile Arrested for Bringing Gun to School at Cranston West

CRANSTON, RI—A fourth juvenile has been charged for bringing a gun to school on Monday at Cranston High School West, according to school officials.

Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse said in a statement that new information came to the attention of school officials on Friday morning alleging that a student brought a gun into school on Monday.

"As a result of this current information, the Cranston police have taken another juvenile into custody," the superintendent said. "The Cranston Police Department has confirmed that there is no threat and this is a continuation of the original investigation."

Unlike the two handguns seized by police earlier this week, this gun apparently was brought into the school, but authorities insist that no student was ever at any risk.

"The district has safety protocols that are followed based on information we receive and events that occur," Nota-Masse said. "As the superintendent, I am fully invested in ensuring the safety of our students. To assure the community that every effort is being made to address safety concerns, we will continue to work closely with Cranston Police."

The three other students, boys between the ages of 14 to 16, were arrested Tuesday for bringing two guns and a stun gun onto school grounds on Monday as part of a trade.

Police said one student brought two handguns and ammunition from home and traded one of the guns with another boy for a jacket.

Once that boy had the gun, he and another boy brought it to an after-school event and they both left and went into a wooded area and fired it at the ground off school grounds.

They then returned to the athletic event.

Cranston Police Chief Col. Micheal J. Winquist Jr. said in that situation, no gun was ever in the school building, and there was no evidence that any student was in harm's way. None of the boys who were arrested intended to harm any other students or faculty members, Winquist said.

Police stepped up their presence at the school this week as a precautionary measure and to give parents some comfort that their children are safe in the building.

Many got word of the situation, first reported by the Patch on Tuesday, by their children who gave various accounts of what happened.

Principal Thomas Barbieri sent an e-mail to parents on Tuesday afternoon notifying them that there was an incident involving three students and the situation was resolved, though he made no mention of guns in the email.

The 15-year-old is facing charges of sale, transfer or delivery of firearms to minors; sale, transfer, or delivery of ammunition to minors, possession of ammunition by a minor, possession of a firearm by a minor, carrying a pistol without a permit and possession of a stolen firearm.

The 14-year-old was charged with possession of ammunition by a minor, possession of a firearm by a minor, carrying a pistol without a permit, firing in a compact area and possession of firearms on school grounds.

The 16-year-old is facing the same charges as the 14-year-old plus a charge of weapons other than firearms prohibited for possessing the stun gun.

More details will be posted.