A 15-year-old carried a high-powered weapon onto a school campus two weeks ago after he had an altercation with another student, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said.
“The young man is still in school,” Fernander told reporters at Police Headquarters in Nassau on Friday.
“He appeared to be very angry for whatever reason. We are paying attention to this because he returned. He had some altercation with another student and he returned with that firearm.
“Thank God that student was not still hanging around in the yard because we could have had maybe even a mass shooting, and I pray the devil away that that will never happen here in this country.”
Fernander said an off-duty officer followed the teen, who was arrested.
He said police have asked the Department of Social Services to investigate to determine what is happening in the teen’s home.
“How is it that he is able to put his hands on a high-powered rifle and his intention is to go and kill someone?” Fernander asked.
“I gave them (police officers) instructions. They carried it out and we found out other kids live in that house.
“There’s only one parent, that’s the mother. The father is nowhere to be found and social services, right now, as we speak, is working along with that family to try to assist and move that child from a life of crime and try and steer him in the right direction.”
The police commissioner said there was an increase in the use of high-powered weapons last year.
A total of 370 firearms were confiscated in 2022 – 280 pistols, 22 revolvers, 38 high-powered rifles and 30 shotguns, Fernander said.
