Alleged attempted shooting outside Springfield school among many gun incidents at schools this year

This incident is just one of the multiple times this year that schools around the area have faced gun possession issues. Here’s a look at three recent notable stories:

READ MORE: 2 teens arrested after alleged attempted shooting, truck strike outside Springfield school

Jan. 24: Northwestern High School 

A 15-year-old student brought a .25-caliber pistol to Northwestern High School, claiming that he “thought it was cool” to do so. When approached by police, the teen said that he intended only to show the gun to his friends.

The district waited until around 9 p.m. that night to alert parents of the incident, which parents expressed concern over. The call was made once the investigation was able to confirm that the gun had been on school grounds.

READ MORE: Police: Northwestern teen ‘thought it was cool’ to bring gun to school

Feb. 21: Simon Kenton Elementary School 

A .380 semi-autotomatic pistol was discovered in the backpack of an 8-year-old student at Simon Kenton Elementary School, just as the school day was coming to an end. The gun was found by a teacher who was putting homework in his bag, and the teacher promptly unloaded it.

Students were informed of the incident the following day and were told what to do in case of potential dangers.

The student told police that he brought the gun because he feared another student was going to harm him. He was charged with possession of a deadly weapon in a school safety zone.

READ MORE: 8-year-old found with a gun in his backpack at local elementary school

March 1: Kenwood Elementary School 

A 6-year-old student at Kenwood Elementary School was arrested for bringing a loaded handgun to school. The gun was discovered around 8:15 a.m. by a teacher, who took the weapon and the student to the principal’s office.

A letter regarding the incident was sent to parents on the same morning the gun was discovered.

According to a report, the student gave two different accounts: he first told them that his mother put the gun in his bookbag, which she denied. He later told them that he found and took the gun from the door of a parked vehicle.

The student was charged with bringing a weapon onto school property and was later taken to juvenile detention.

READ MORE: Gun at Kenwood 6th threat at a Clark, Champaign school in 2 weeks