Concern over guns in NYC schools following incidents, shooting of teen leaving school
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Concerns are growing over guns in New York City schools, after four firearms were found throughout schools in the five boroughs just this week.
The latest discovery was made in a school inside the Percy Sutton Educational Complex in Harlem on Friday morning, where authorities say they found a 16-year-old with a fully-loaded .38 caliber in his backpack.
"It's definitely concerning. A loaded gun in a place where my son is attending school is just not the way to go," said parent Joe Hunter.
Meanwhile, a high school student is recovering Friday morning after being shot leaving a high school in Staten Island on Thursday.
Separate incidents also happened in the same day in the Bronx and Queens.
Two guns were recovered Thursday inside Flushing High School in Queens. The discoveries were made before 12:30 p.m.
Two teens, ages 17 and 15 were stopped when the weapons were found. Now, on Friday, portable scanners will greet students there as an added security measure.
The Department of Education released a statement saying, "The safety and wellbeing of our students is our top priority. We are grateful to our NYPD School Safety Agents who worked quickly to deescalate, recover both weapons, and ensure that our buildings are safe. The school followed all procedures, and we are working closely with NYPD regarding follow-up actions."
A gun, that was later determined to be an imitation plastic weapon, was also found at Lehman High School in the possession of a 16-year-old in the Bronx.
But, it was at 1 p.m. on Staten Island, when a shooting at a playground across the street from Ralph McKee Career and Technical Education High School injured a teenager.
A 17-year-old was shot in the left leg as he was leaving Curtis High School.
Police believe the shooting stemmed from a school-related dispute.
The boy is in stable condition, but the gunman remains on the run. He was said to be wearing a green sweatsuit.
In a statement, the Department of Education said:
"While this incident took place off campus, this is a highly concerning consequence of the proliferation of guns in our city. Our students deserve to be safe in their neighborhoods, and we are working closely with the school to ensure students have the resources they need, including support from external violence interruption organizations."
The shooting comes a day after a loaded gun was recovered inside a student's backpack at Curtis High School.
Police said a 17-year-old had a loaded 0.45 caliber firearm in his backpack on Wednesday.
Retired NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce says the NYPD School Safety Division is critical in getting guns off the street.
"Now is the time to ratchet up our efforts to make sure this doesn't go forward into the school year," Boyce said.
He says more resources are needed, like scanning.
"Parents don't want their children to walk in an environment," Boyce said. "I understand that. However, sometimes it's necessary when you're having problems at one school."
Boyce also suggests staggering school dismissal times
"There's less people on the street, and those people come out of school have to be moved along very quickly," he said.
According to the NYPD, the number of weapons recovered in city schools at the end of last school year was roughly 6,000. That's down from roughly 7,000 the year before.
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