Two Los Angeles Unified high school students reportedly carried guns in backpacks on campus this week, bringing the number of firearms found in L.A. schools to four since the start of the academic year on Aug. 12.
Additionally, last week’s shooting left a 17-year-old boy injured outside Granada Hills Charter High School, a public school that is part of LA Unified, but not run by the district. During the first week of school, a student committed a stabbing at another high school campus. The young man who was shot and stabbed required hospitalization but his injuries were not life-threatening, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The violence and gun confiscations are at the center of debates about campus security – including the role of school police, who were banned from LA campuses following student and community activism after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in 2020. LA’s school police force has been greatly reduced. now patrolling near schools and entering campuses only to deal with emergencies, conduct investigations or make arrests.
“The safety and security of our students and the campus is our top priority,” Chief Operating Officer Andres Chait said in a statement to The Times. “Los Angeles Unified has made great strides in promoting a culture of situational awareness and safety, and is working with the Los Angeles School Police, local law enforcement and municipalities to ensure coverage and usefulness. We are constantly reviewing and refining our safety protocols.
Officials used the recent incident to draw attention to the Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting app LASAR, which it says “enables the Los Angeles school community to anonymously report suspicious incidents, mental health incidents, drug use, drug trafficking, vandalism and other safety issues. .”
The latest incident involving a gun happened Tuesday, when administrators reportedly found an unloaded semiautomatic handgun in a ninth-grade boy’s backpack at John C. Fremont High School in South Los Angeles.
The gun was found after a tip from a neighborhood resident who said he saw the student walking to school with a weapon and then put it in a backpack, according to a report from a district source, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the incident.
Administrators located the student on campus and found the gun while searching his backpack, then called school police to arrest him, the source said.
District officials sent word of the incident to the school community Tuesday evening.
“Today, as a result of community members alerting staff of safety concerns, administrative staff recovered an unloaded handgun from a student,” said a message from Fremont High Principal Blanca Esquivel. “The Los Angeles School Police Department arrested the student. This matter will be investigated further by the school police.”
“The school day operated on time and without interruption for instruction,” the principal added. “Out of an abundance of caution, school police will be providing extra patrols and support on campus for the rest of the week.”
The day before, at George Washington Preparatory High School, also in South LA, administrators allegedly found an unloaded semiautomatic pistol and a 21-round clip during a search. The gun, as outfitted, is illegal for anyone to carry in California, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.
campus officials called the school police, and the student, 18, and arrested as an adult on gun charges, said a district source who was also not authorized to talk about the incident. The student reportedly told the officer that he needed the gun to protect himself from physical harm while going to and from campus.
The school’s message to his family confirmed key details.
“Today, social media posts related to administrative searches of students in possession of firearms and ammunition were separate,” said Principal Tony Booker. “The Los Angeles School Police Department arrested the student.”
“This matter will be investigated further by school police and the Los Angeles Police Department,” Booker added. “For the rest of the week, school police will be providing support on campus and in the community.”
Last school year, a Washington Prep student was shot and killed a few blocks from campus. The alleged shooter in the April 15 incident was apparently carrying a gun for protection and was pulled out after being jumped by a group of fellow students, according to law enforcement sources.
Less than 10 seconds after the fight began, Elijah McGinnis III, 15, collapsed with a gunshot wound. He died in hospital. The student accused of firing the gun is a minor, and the case is being handled by the juvenile court system.
This fall, three days after the start of school, a student was stabbed at Benjamin Franklin Senior High in Highland Park during a preseason football game. The student, who was from another school, did not suffer life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made, according to the LAPD.
The next day at Sylmar High School, officers found a loaded handgun that had apparently been dropped during a fight.
Then on August 19, this student was allegedly found with an unloaded handgun at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda.
Last Thursday’s shooting at Granada Hills Charter School happened next to the campus around 9:15 PM among a group of students who had gathered for a football game with LAUSD’s Franklin High.
The student was shot in the leg, according to a source close to the investigation who was not authorized to comment.
Granada Hills is an independent charter school — not run by LA Unified — but the campus property is owned by the district. The school contracts with the LA School Police Department to provide officers during the school day, according to sources within the department.
Granada Hills school officials did not respond to a request for comment.
However, the morning after the shooting, the Franklin High principal sent a message to the Franklin school community reporting “an off-campus incident that occurred during yesterday’s football game against Granada Hills Charter.”
“An individual was the victim of a gunshot wound at an off-campus location during the game,” the statement said. “The Los Angeles County School Police Department assisted and supported on campus to ensure the game continued safely. No Franklin High School students were involved in any off-campus incidents.
