Students found with guns at two area high schools

Two high school students were found with guns on campus in separate incidents Tuesday in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.

Both students, one at Volcano Vista and another at Cleveland High School, are facing criminal charges.

The situations unfolded the same day that more than a dozen children were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in west Texas.

The local incidents came without any reported injuries.

Volcano Vista Principal Melissa Sedillo said the gun was confiscated from the backpack of a student in the south parking lot of the school.

“The student who brought the gun on campus now faces criminal charges and appropriate school discipline, which could include suspension or expulsion,” she said in a Facebook post, adding that Albuquerque Public Schools police are are handling the investigation.

Sedillo said a “concerned individual” notified staff of the weapon before the student was found and searched.

“We encourage people to come forward as they did today when they learn of possible threats to our students and staff,” she said. “We take every threat or rumor of danger seriously and work closely with APS Police and other law enforcement.”

Around the same time, a similar situation played out in Rio Rancho.

Police Lt. Jacquelynn Reedy told the Rio Rancho Observer that a boy was arrested Tuesday morning after being seen with a gun at Cleveland High School.

She said the student was booked into the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center. Reedy told the Observer that a student told a school security officer that the boy had a gun.

“The suspect was contacted, and authorities located and confiscated the handgun,” according to Rio Rancho Public Schools said in a release.

The release said that no threats were made and the weapon was not brandished or pointed at anyone.

“At this time we don’t know why he decided to bring the firearm,” Reedy told the Observer.

The RRPs release said parents should urge their children to report “suspicious activities or disturbing information to a trusted adult.”

“Together we can prevent situations like this and ensure the safety of our students and staff,” the release said.