QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — Editor's note: The above video aired during a previous broadcast.
In August, a 9-year-old Queen Creek Student reportedly brought a gun to school. Now, the Pinal County Attorney's Office has filed charges against the 4th grader.
The situation began on Aug. 24 when a student at Legacy Traditional School's Queen Creek campus noticed that another student had a bullet in their possession, police said.
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Queen Creek Police searched the child's backpack the next day, finding a firearm with a loaded magazine seated in the weapon.
Officials will now be charging the student with minor in possession of a firearm and interference with or disruption of an educational institution: Both of which are felony charges, the Pinal County Attorney's Office announced Monday.
The Queen Creek Police Department previously pressed for charges against the parents, saying that they should face a charge of contributing to the delinquency of the minor. Police said they believed that the parents didn't do enough to secure the weapon in their home to stop the child from using it.
Officials with the county attorney's office ultimately decided that they would not be pursuing charges against the parents. County officials said there was "no reasonable likelihood of conviction" against the parents.
“Given the inherent danger involved with a gun being on a school campus, PCAO must take this seriously,” said County Attorney Kent Volkmer. “However, it is important to appreciate that the juvenile justice system is focused on rehabilitation and correcting behavior and that will be our focus.”
The attorney's office stressed that charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: El condado Pinal presenta cargos por delitos graves contra un estudiante de cuarto grado que llevó un arma a la escuela
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