Kansas finger gun, Felony charge for girl, 13, who pointed finger-guns
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Kansas finger gun, Felony charge for girl, 13, who pointed finger-guns
By thenewmag, October 12 2019
A Kansas middle school girl who formed her fingers into a gun and pointed it at several of her classmates after another student asked her who would she would kill was arrested and charged with a felony.
The incident happened on Sept. 18 at Westridge Middle School in Overland Park, about 13 miles south of Kansas City, after administrators were alerted to a potential threat made by a 13-year-old student, police said in a news release.
According to the Kansas City Star, the girl was having a discussion with a classmate who asked if she could kill five people in the room, who would they be. The girl responded by allegedly making a finger gun and pointing it at four students and then pointing it at herself, the outlet reported.
An Overland Park police spokesperson told NBC News in a statement Friday that an individual who felt threatened used the school’s online anti-bullying app to alert administrators, who conducted an investigation and then told the school resource officer.
The resource officer, who is employed by the city’s police department, interviewed both students involved who “affirmed the actions which constituted the potential threat,” police said.
The girl, whose identity is not being released because she is a juvenile, was then arrested by the resource officer.
“Too often there are reports of violence in schools and inevitably questions about what could or should have been done to prevent the tragedy. Threats in schools are taken very seriously and treated appropriately,” police said in the release.
A spokesperson for the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office said after reviewing the evidence the girl was charged with criminal threat, which is a felony offense.
She is due to appear in court next week.
Jon Cavanaugh, the girl’s grandfather, told the Kansas City Star that he thinks the incident “got completely out of hand” and should have been handled in the principal’s office and not with the teenager being charged with a felony.
Cavanaugh said the 13-year-old does not have access to a gun.
“She was just mouthing off,” he said. “I’m really worried about my granddaughter’s future.”
A spokesperson for the Shawnee Mission School District told NBC News that he could not discuss the incident but that the district was not involved in the girl’s being arrested.
“We didn’t have any control over that action,” David Smith said, declining to say if the school disciplined the student who began the discussion by asking the girl who she would kill.
BUZZ NOTE: There were no pictures with this article so I used a relevant picture from the internet in order to post it. I am curious about the attitude of the NT members about this incident.
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Although I personally feel this was a matter that should have been dealt with by the school principal, who should have informed the parents (in this case, grandparent?) so that the parents could also deal with it, I would welcome the opinions of the NT members about it.
being that close to Missouri, she's lucky she wasn't shot in the back by the SRO during recess
This seems like a ridiculous overreaction by school officials who fear any responsibility.
I am sure she will be turned into a real violent criminal by the legal system.
As well he should be.
Glad I am not a kid in school these days. I am pretty sure they would have had me in counseling, on drugs, and probably arrested for anti social behavior caused by those that bullied me physically and socially.
Here is an idea. Rather than arrest her, as her and the classmate who asked the question, why she picked those 4 kids- and more importantly herself. I highly doubt she chose the 4 at random; and she damn well as sure didn't choose herself because she ran out of targets. Willing to bet there is more going on than the idiots in the school system know about; or want to admit too.
The ones she pointed to might well have been the ones who deserved criticism. Kids can be really mean to other kids.
Thank you for simplifying what I was really trying to get at.
I also notice that there was no quote from the parents- just the Grand Father. I don't like to speculate, but did something happen to her parents. That could also be an issue.
I am more concerned that she pointed at herself last. You don't need a gun to kill yourself, or cause yourself physical harm.
Good comment. I was going to say "Good points" but realized it might not be so appropriate for this article.
I see that he has his trusty Daisy Red Ryder BB gun - the weapon of choice for all those mass-murderers while learning to be a Hell's Angel.
That could be my brother.
I used to have a remote control that looked like a gun. I used to sit and point it at cars, people, birds, etc and say bang bang. If I even tried that now and someone reported it, I would be in deep do do. Didn't a tennis player recently get in trouble for pointing the grip of his racket like it was a rifle at the refs?
They can take away my finger gun when the cut it off my cold dead hand!