OLYMPIA, Wash. — A 17-year-old boy was booked into juvenile detention after a BB gun was found in a Capital High School bathroom Monday morning.
Earlier in the day, the Olympia Police Department (OPD) got a call from a staff member at Capital High School who reported seeing suspicious activity among several male students. According to a school email, the administrator followed students into the bathroom where they saw a gun pass under the stall.
When police arrived on campus, they found the BB gun and noted that it looked like a replica of a handgun.
A student witness told police that when he entered the bathroom, the 17-year-old opened up his backpack and pulled out a gun before handing it to another youth. The other youth held the gun up over the stall, and the witness didn't see the gun again, according to court documents.
There were no reports that the BB gun was displayed or that any students were threatened with it, according to an email sent to parents by the Olympia School District.
The 17-year-old's mother told police that the gun wasn't theirs and that she didn't own any weapons. The mother said the morning of the incident she overheard her son talking on his phone, saying something about "having it" and "bringing it."
The 17-year-old was booked in Thurston County Juvenile Detention on suspicion of having a dangerous weapon on school grounds.
The other students who were detained after the incident were released to their parents.
The school was in a modified lockout between 9:03 a.m. and 10:34 a.m. that morning.
The incident comes less than a week after another Capital High School student, a 15-year-old boy, was arrested for bringing a loaded handgun with him on the first day of school. Police said the incident with the BB gun is not related to last week's incident.
The Olympia School District held a Zoom meeting for parents on Monday evening to discuss student safety and recent events at the school and to share steps that the district is taking to ensure the safety of students and staff, according to an email sent to parents. During the meeting, the Olympia School District superintendent and board president announced a reboot of their partnership with OPD to bring back school resource officers.
Some parents and parent groups say they're hopeful about working with the campus community and the district to seek solutions, including more mental health support and parent-staff collaboration.
"I just want to see honest dialogue and some measures taken to try, even if they're not sure if it's going to be successful, just try new things, I think that's important," said parent and volunteer Rebecca Cornelius, who contributes to the school's booster and parent-teacher associations. "We're looking forward to working with the school and the district to come up with positive solutions cause we want to see us get past this and have a fun and exciting school year."
Cornelius said she believes the campus community as a whole offers a good experience for students and credits Capital High School's teachers with shaping the education and futures of her children. But she wants to make sure everyone feels safe on campus.
"Your heart drops in your stomach cause your first thought is- is my kid okay?" Cornelius said. "Don't get me wrong, my initial thought is anger, I'm not gonna lie. But we have to figure out how to redirect that to be positive, and figure out how to make change."
