Student brought handgun to high school in East Anchorage, police say

A student brought a handgun to Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School on Tuesday but didn’t threaten anyone with the weapon, authorities say.

An Anchorage Police Department school resource officer was told by a high school staffer that several students reported seeing the student with a gun just after 2:20 p.m. inside the building, police said Wednesday. The school day ends at East at 2 p.m.

The officer contacted both the student and a parent off school grounds, police said. Criminal charges have been forwarded to the state Division of Juvenile Justice for review.

Authorities do not believe the student made any threats with the gun, according to a message sent to families by Principal Ron Brown.

A student told school administrators at the end of the day that they believed they saw a student with a handgun in the building, Brown told families. School officials notified the police department.

An Anchorage School District spokesman referred questions to the police department. A police spokeswoman said Wednesday that she could not answer questions about the incident, including whether the gun was loaded, due to the ongoing investigation and the involvement of a minor.

There was no interruption to classes because the report was made at the end of the day, Brown told families.