Two Los Angeles Unified School District high school students were reportedly found carrying guns in their backpacks on campus this week, bringing the number of firearms found in Los Angeles schools to four since the start of the academic year on Aug. 12.
Also last week, a shooting left a 17-year-old boy wounded outside Granada Hills Charter High School, a public school that is within Los Angeles Unified School District boundaries but is not run by the district. During the first week of school, a student was stabbed on the campus of another high school. The boys who were shot and stabbed needed to be hospitalized, but their injuries were not life-threatening, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The violence and gun seizures come amid an ongoing debate over campus safety, including the role of school police, who were banned from Los Angeles campuses following student and community activism after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in 2020. Currently, a much-reduced Los Angeles school police force patrols near schools and enters a campus only to deal with an emergency, conduct an investigation or make an arrest.
“The safety of our students and campuses is our top priority,” Chief Operating Officer Andres Chait said in a statement to The Times. “Los Angeles Unified has made tremendous strides to promote a culture of situational awareness and safety, and to partner with Los Angeles School Police, local law enforcement and municipalities to ensure coverage and speed. We continually review and refine our safety protocols.”
Officials used the recent incidents to draw attention to Los Angeles schools’ LASAR anonymous reporting app, which they say “allows the Los Angeles school community to anonymously report instances of suspicious activity, mental health incidents, drug use, drug dealing, vandalism and other safety concerns.”
The most recent incident involving a gun occurred Tuesday, when an administrator allegedly found an unloaded semi-automatic pistol in a ninth-grade boy's backpack at John C. Fremont Middle 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 holding the gun and then putting it in his backpack, according to district sources, who requested anonymity because they were 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 make the arrest, sources said.
District officials sent a notice about the incident to the school community Tuesday afternoon.
“Today, as a result of a community member alerting staff about a safety issue, administrative staff recovered an unloaded handgun from a student,” Fremont High Principal Blanca Esquivel’s message read. “The Los Angeles School Police Department detained the student. School police will further investigate the matter.”
“The school day was on time and without any distractions during class,” the principal added. “Out of an abundance of caution, school police will provide additional patrols and support on campus for the remainder of the week.”
The day before, at George Washington High School, also in South Los Angeles, administrators allegedly found an unloaded semi-automatic pistol and a 21-round magazine during a search. The weapon, as equipped, is illegal for anyone to carry in California, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.
Campus officials called school police and the 18-year-old student was arrested as an adult for gun possession, said district sources who were also not authorized to speak about the incident. The student reportedly told officers he needed the gun to protect himself from physical harm on his way to and from campus.
A message from the school to families confirmed key details.
“Today, a concerning social media post led to an administrative search for a student who was found to be in possession of an unloaded firearm and separate ammunition,” said Principal Tony Booker. “The Los Angeles School Police Department arrested the student.”
“School police and the Los Angeles Police Department will investigate the matter further,” Booker added. “For the remainder of the week, school police will provide support on campus and in the community.”
Last year, a Washington Prep student was shot and killed just blocks from campus. The alleged shooter in the April 15 incident apparently carried the gun for protection and pulled it out after a group of fellow students attacked him, according to law enforcement sources.
Less than 10 seconds after the fight began, 15-year-old Elijah McGinnis III collapsed with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a 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 school started, a student was stabbed at Benjamin Franklin High School in Highland Park during a preseason football game. The student, who was from another school, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The next day at Sylmar High School, officers confiscated a loaded handgun that had apparently been dropped during a fight.
Then, on August 19, a student was allegedly found with an unloaded gun at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda.
Last Thursday's shooting at Granada Hills Charter School occurred adjacent to the campus around 9:15 p.m. between a group of students who had gathered for a football game with LAUSD's Franklin High.
One student was shot in the foot, according to sources close to the investigation who were not authorized to comment.
Granada Hills is an independent charter school (it is not run by the Los Angeles Unified School District), but the campus is owned by the district. The school has a contract with the Los Angeles School Police Department to provide an officer during the school day, according to department sources.
Granada Hills school officials did not respond to a request for comment.
However, the morning after the shooting, Franklin High's 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.”
“One person was the victim of a gunshot wound at an off-campus location during the game,” the statement said. “The Los Angeles School Police Department assisted and supported on campus to ensure the game continued safely. No Franklin High School students were involved in the off-campus incident.”
