400 Rounds of Ammo: Student Brings Gun to Vancouver School to Defend Bullied Friend? [VIDEO]
A Washington student arrested Wednesday after bringing 400 rounds of ammo to his Vancouver school was allegedly trying to protect a bullied friend who had been called gay.
Authorities arrested an 11-year-old boy outside Frontier Middle School after his mother called police saying she believed he took knives to school that day. The boy's identity was not revealed at time of publication.
When police detained the boy they found knives, a.22-caliber handgun and 400 rounds of ammo, according to The Huffington Post, prompting a lockdown on both the middle school and adjacent Pioneer Elementary School.
The boy told school officials he took the weapons to school because " 'a voice in his head' was telling him to kill" a classmate who had called his friend gay, according to a probable cause document obtained by NBC. He planned to shoot the student in the arm before shooting himself in the head.
It was not confirmed whether or not the boy who was being bullied is gay.
The boy is currently being held on charges of attempted assault, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a weapon at school.
His parents, who are being hailed for their efforts to stop a potentially catastrophic event from happening, released a joint statement:
"We are at a loss for words and deeply saddened for the fear that these circumstances have caused. We are cooperating with law enforcement, school personnel and mental health officials to ensure our son gets the help he needs."
Read also: Sparks Middle School Shooting: Gunfire in Reno, Nevada Leaves Teacher and Student Dead & 2 Wounded
The event would have been third case of reported gun violence this week and the second at a school.
A 12-year-old boy allegedly killed a teacher at his Nevada middle school on Monday before turning the gun on himself, and two soldiers were injured in a shooting at a Tennessee naval base Thursday.
Another teenaged boy, 14-year-old Philip Chism, was arrested this week and charged with the murder of math teacher Colleen Ritzer in Massachusetts Wednesday. Chism allegedly used a box cutter in the violent attack.