GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker and Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom will announce charges Tuesday afternoon related to a second grade student bringing a gun to Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School earlier this month.
The incident, which took place on May 3, was the third time a gun was brought to a Grand Rapids Public School (GRPS) this academic year.
An unloaded gun was confiscated from a 7-year-old student at the school after another student notified a staff member of the gun.
Becker announced that there will be charges announced in the case at a press conference at the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) headquarters at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The child who brought the gun to school is considered to be a victim in the case, according to Winstrom.
Becker did not announce who would be charged in the case.
Just one week after the gun was found on the 7-year-old at Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School, an 8-year-old brought a loaded handgun to Stocking Elementary School.
Winstrom said in a press conference after the incident that he expects charges to be brought against someone in that case as well.
The incident at Stocking Elementary School prompted a ban on backpacks for the remainder of the school year at all GRPS schools.
In addition to the backpack ban, GRPS passed a resolution for safe schools at a board meeting Monday night. The district says they will also be hiring consultants to do a school safety assessment.
In October 2022, a Burton Middle School student brought an unloaded handgun to school.
Then in January, security officers confiscated a loaded handgun from a student at Burton Middle School.
13 ON YOUR SIDE will stream the announcement of charges in the Cesar E. Chavez case at 1 p.m. on 13ONYOURSIDE.com and our YouTube page.
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