DALE CITY, Va. — Police said a child brought an air soft gun to Godwin Middle School and that led to a lockdown of the building.
More in a press release:
Brandishing a Weapon on School Property – On April 11th at 3:56PM, police responded to Godwin Middle School located at 14800 Darbydale Ave in Woodbridge (22193) for a subject with a gun. Multiple police units responded quickly to the school and secured a perimeter. Once on scene, officers learned that the suspect was a student of the school and was detained in the principal’s office.
Officers further learned that the weapon was an air-soft gun and not a real firearm. The investigation revealed that the student had brought the air-soft gun onto school grounds and was outside of the building with a group of friends. The suspect began playing with the air-soft gun and fired it multiple times at the ground inadvertently striking one of his friends in the leg causing a minor mark. A school staff member witnessed this encounter and, believing the weapon was real, alerted additional school staff leading to a lockdown of the building and police response.
The student was quickly identified by school staff and the situation was quickly deescalated. This incident was not directed at any student, staff member, or the school itself and no threat was made by the suspect prior to the incident. Following the investigation, charges were placed against the student.
Charged on April 12th: (Juvenile)
A 14 year old male of Woodbridge
Charged with brandishing a weapon on school property and possession of a firearm or other weapon on school property
Court date and status information unavailable
