A pre-kindergarten student at St. Mary's Catholic School in Brownsville has been suspended from school and banned from campus after authorities say he brought a loaded gun to school.
Brownsville Police say they are questioning the 5-year-old and his relatives.
"As far as how the child was able to obtain this particular handgun, there is an investigation,” said Brownsville Police spokesman J.J Treviño.
According to Brownsville Police at about 9 am the school's principal called authorities saying she had retrieved a handgun from a student after hearing about the gun from other students.
Police at the East Los Ebanos campus and confiscated the .32 caliber gun.
The firearm was loaded with live ammunition Treviño said.
"There was an individual that was detained by the name of Noe Cruz,” said Treviño. “He was charged with possession of firearm by a felon as well as child endangerment. The relationship between him and the child is still under investigation.”
Fortunately there were no reports of injuries.
Police say they have no indication the boy planned to shoot anyone and that he brought the gun to school to show off to other students,
Treviño said parents need to be mindful of what their kids are taking to school.
“You need to be responsible enough as a parent to know what your child is doing and what your child is taking to school,” said Treviño.
Brenda Rojas, a spokeswoman for the Brownsville Diocese says parents were notified of the incident Tuesday.
Rojas adds it will use this incident to teach students that they should report safety concerns to an adult immediately
According to police it is not known if Noe Cruz is the boy's father or stepfather.
According to court records, Cruz was on probation for evading arrest with a motor vehicle.
He received a bond of $12500.00.
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