A San Antonio, Texas, preschool reported that a 3-year-old brought a pistol to school. The boy’s father was detained.
School and police authorities issued a joint statement Tuesday saying that 35-year-old Pete Robles was arrested after instructors at the West Side Pre-K 4 SA program discovered a pistol in his son’s bag.
Pre-K 4 SA administrators said the youngster had no idea that the pistol was in the bag, and they announced a temporary ban on backpacks.
Lucky for everyone involved, an off-duty parks officer was helping instructors take control of the handgun and call the San Antonio Police Department.
According to SAPD Chief William McManus’s statement, this event illustrates the vital coordination between the school staff and law enforcement officers. The matter was quickly addressed, and an arrest was made. The school and its children are not at risk.
The police have promised to maintain a heightened presence at the school indefinitely.
Robles was arrested on Wednesday and freed on a $4,500 bail; the youngster involved in the incident is now in the care of Child Protective Services.
The SAPD has warned that further arrests and charges are possible as they continue to look into the event. He was charged with felony child endangerment.
The incident reminds me of the terrible killing at Richneck Elementary School earlier this year by a 6-year-old student in Virginia. A teacher named Abigail Zwerner was slain.
According to court records revealed this week, the teen who shot and murdered Zwerner seemed to be well aware of his conduct and even gloated at the thought that he had killed his instructor.
The documents quote him as saying, “I shot the bitch.” And he admits he took his mother’s gun from her the night before.
According to Education Week, which is keeping count, there have been 24 school shootings in the United States this year, resulting in 24 injuries and two fatalities.
Thirteen persons have been murdered due to the gunshots, including nine youngsters and four adults.
