TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, Feb. 1, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy for allegedly firing a gun last week during a dispute with students in the parking lot of Taylorsville High School.
The Jan. 26 incident led to the lockdown of the high school for more than two hours and the lockout of three nearby elementary schools, as well as Bennion Junior High School.
A statement issued Wednesday by the Taylorsville Police Department says officers responded to the school at about 12:30 p.m. that day, which was Thursday of last week, “after receiving reports of gunshots at the school.
“Officers searched the school and looked for suspects, determining that an altercation involving several students and a firearm had occurred in the parking lot. They found a gun casing there and initially detained three students while looking for three others.”
No injuries resulted from the discharge of the firearm, and the lockdown at the high school was lifted later in the afternoon after officers assessed that all students inside were safe and accounted for, the statement says.
Taylorsville officers investigated further, “and determined the 17-year-old was the one who allegedly fired the weapon. This morning at approximately 8:30 a.m., detectives conducting surveillance of the teen’s home were able to arrest him without incident. He was booked into Salt Lake County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of felony discharge of a firearm and multiple felony counts of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon. He faces possible charges in Utah’s Juvenile Court. Because he is a juvenile, his name will not be released.”
After the gun was fired, several students fled the scene, the police statement says.
“In addition to the three who were initially detained, police were able to locate the three others later in the week and they were also questioned. The five other students do not face arrest although disciplinary action by the high school and school district may be involved.”
A school lockout is a safety protocol that is initiated when there is a potential threat to student safety off campus and allows a school to proceed as normal inside, although no one is allowed to enter the building. A lockdown means there is a threat to student safety on campus and requires all students, staff and approved visitors to move to the nearest room and lock the door.
