Police: Moline middle school placed on lockdown after student brought BB gun to school

MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) - John Deere Middle School was placed on lockdown Thursday morning after police received a tip that a student had what appeared to be a handgun.

It happened around 8:09 a.m. and was reported to a school resource officer inside the building, police said in a media release. A second officer arrived at the school to help find the student.

The school resource officer located the student, who was in possession of a BB gun, around 8:14 a.m., police said.

“It is important to note that the handgun was not real and no students were in danger,” Chief Darren Gault said in the release. “This does highlight the importance of alerting a trusted adult such as a police officer or school administrator anytime suspicious activity is observed. In this case, the process worked and a police officer was able to immediately intervene. While this was not a real firearm, all suspicious activity is treated seriously.”

Gault reminded the public that taking a replica or look-a-like gun in a school is illegal. The investigation is ongoing, he said.

Gault added that all students are safe and that school is operating normally.

No other information was released Thursday.

Copyright 2022 KWQC. All rights reserved.