Father Faces Charges After Police Say 4-Year-Old Took Handgun To South Texas School

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West Oso ISD’s John F. Kennedy Elementary School went into lockdown Wednesday morning after a 4-year-old student brought a loaded gun to school.

School staff learned that a student had a weapon on campus around 9 a.m. and quickly implemented lockdown procedures, the district said in a news release. The district relies on the Corpus Christi Police Department for security.

An off-duty CCPD officer providing security at the campus safely secured the handgun, with district leadership and additional officers from the department visiting the campus to assist.

Police provided an “all clear” by 10:30 a.m. According to the news release, the district does not believe students or staff were in imminent danger.

Investigators arrived at the student’s residence and identified the parents of the child as the owners of the handgun, according to a CCPD news release. Police arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of making a firearm accessible to a child and abandoning or endangering a child.

The incident marked the third time that students brought weapons to Corpus Christi-area schools in as many weeks. In the past weeks, students brought guns to Corpus Christi ISD’s Moody High School and Los Encinos Elementary School.

“I have to give a big shoutout to CCPD — their response was impeccable,” West Oso ISD Superintendent Conrado Garcia told the Caller-Times.

Information about the incident, which the district characterizes as “isolated,” was shared with parents and staff through a letter and a robo-text on Wednesday morning.

Garcia said school staff and law enforcement acted appropriately, following security procedures.

“All pieces came together positively, thanks be to God,” Garcia said. “All things are now back to normal.”