Student charged after bringing gun to Kamehameha Schools Keaau campus

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii Island police arrested and charged a 17-year-old after he brought a weapon to his high school on Tuesday.

Officers responded to the Kamehameha Schools Keaau campus around 3 p.m. following reports of a student with a revolver.

Campus security had already detained the teen and retrieved the gun from his waistband.

School administrators said they were tipped off by a picture circulating on social media of the student with the gun.

Police later examined the revolver and determined it was a “starter” gun that couldn’t be fired because the barrel is blocked by a piece of welded metal.

The student was charged for terroristic threatening in the first-degree and disorderly conduct. He was later released to his guardian.

“Though this firearm was not loaded or operational, we treat these types of threats to our schools seriously and will aggressively prosecute these types of incidents,” said Puna District Captain Scott Amaral.

“Working in cooperation with Kamehameha Schools, this incident was resolved quickly and peacefully with minimal interruption to school functions. Our children deserve to be able to learn and grow in a safe environment and not be afraid of gun violence.”

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