Texas police arrested a boy in posession of an AK-47-style pistol and a toy AR-15-style rifle at school on Wednesday, the day after a mass shooting in the state left 21 dead at an elementary school in the small town of Uvalde.
Police were called on Wednesday morning in the town of Richardson, a Dallas suburb, on reports that a male was seen walking towards Berkner High School holding what looked like a rifle.
“Within minutes of the call being dispatched, numerous police officers from various units within the Richardson Police Department responded to Berkner High School and initiated a search and investigation into this incident,” Richardson Police said in a statement on Facebook.
The teen, whose identity has not been released due to his age, was located inside the school, and his car contained “what appeared to be an AK-47 style pistol and a replica AR-15 style Orbeez rifle.”
The youth was charged with unlawful carrying weapons in a weapon-free school zone, a state felony.
A Volkswagen Jetta was seen being towed from the school as police investigated, Fox 4 reports.
“The Richardson Police Department would like to remind the public of the importance to report suspicious activity, as we recognize the vigilant awareness and actions of the person who initially called 911 to alert law enforcement,” Richardson Police added.
Some were struck by the timing, with the arrest coming just a day after one of the worst school shootings in US history, and saw the incident as a reminder of the need for tougher gun laws.
“Just ONE DAY after 19 students and two educators were murdered inside a Texas elementary school, a student was just arrested at Berkner High School in Richardson, Texas. Police found an AK-47 and replica AR-15 rifle in his car. It’s the guns,” wrote Shannon Watts, founder of advocacy group Moms Demand Action, on Twitter.
