Roseville High student charged as juvenile after bringing gun to school

ROSEVILLE — A Roseville High School student is facing charges after allegedly bringing a gun to school.

According to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, on Wednesday, Nov. 9, an eleventh grader witnessed “worrisome behavior between two students at Roseville High School and believed one of the students had a gun in his backpack.”

The student then notified a school counselor, who notified the school’s administration. When the student was located and his backpack was searched by the school’s principal, a firearm was located, the press release states.

The school’s resource officer handcuffed the student — a juvenile — and retrieved a 9 mm Glock handgun with an extended magazine, which was determined to be loaded with a round in the chamber, the press release states.

Roseville Chief of Police Ryan Monroe said his department’s school resource officers have a great relationship with the district and are always working to improve the safety and security of every school.

“This unfortunate incident is (an) example of how well we work together and keep our students and faculty safe,” he said in an email.

The suspect initially denied the gun was his, and it was later found to be stolen out of Bloomfield Township, the press release states.

“The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office has zero tolerance for guns in schools,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a prepared statement. “The student who saw something and said something is a hero in my book. Safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

On Nov. 9, Roseville Community Schools Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski issued a letter to parents about the incident.

“Unfortunately, we are not immune to these threatening times. Fortunately, a person came forward and reported this to a staff member,” Blaszkowski said. “The school enacted its safety protocols by going into a shelter in place. Our high school liaison officer was able to secure the weapon before any incident occurred.”

Because the weapon was discovered during sixth hour, school was dismissed at its regular time.

On Nov. 10, the suspect appeared in front of Macomb County Juvenile Referee Linda Harrison, who accepted and authorized a petition to charge the juvenile with one count of carrying a concealed weapon, a five-year felony, and one count of possession of a weapon in a weapon-free school zone, a 93-day misdemeanor.

The juvenile is being held without bond. Harrison has also indicated that the court will attempt to transfer the case to Wayne County, where the juvenile resides. However, he is currently being lodged in the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center.

Besides the courts, there are repercussions at the school district’s level.

“Any student found in possession of a firearm is subject to an expulsion hearing in front of the Board of Education, punishable by up to 180 days from all Michigan public schools, and possibly even more from Roseville Community Schools,” Blaszkowski said. 

According to the letter, district officials have “done extensive training,” including safety drills, with staff and students about how to respond to such situations. 

“The staff and students performed exactly how they were trained,” Blaszkowski said via the letter. 

Blaszkowski reminded parents to tell their children to inform a trusted adult if they hear about any suspicious activity or of possible threats at a school. He also encouraged the use of the www.michigan.gov/OK2Say website to report any potential threat to staff and students.

Counselors were available for students and staff who might have been shaken up by the incident. School resumed Nov. 10 with attendance at more than 90%, and attendance Nov. 11 was more than 95%.

Citing the ongoing investigation, the district could not provide more information about the student and how and why the student had the gun.

Contact Staff Writer Brian Wells at (248) 291-7637 or bwells@candgnews.com. Contact Staff Writer Maria Allard at (586) 498-1045.