Parents ‘can’t imagine’ the ‘crazy’ report of loaded gun found in locker at area school

On the same day a shooting at a school in Iowa left one student dead and as many as five people wounded, parents in Montgomery County were surprised and seemingly stunned to learn that a loaded gun was found at a local charter school.

>> 1 dead, 5 wounded in shooting at Iowa school

“That’s crazy,” Kathryn Gray of Dayton said to News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis when she was told about the gun found in a juvenile’s locker Thursday morning at the North Dayton School of Discovery on Turner Road.

The juvenile “could’ve shot somebody’s baby,” she said. “It’s unnerving.”

The juvenile, who was not identified by gender or age, was arrested and detained at the Montgomery County Juvenile Justice Center on preliminary charges of delinquency by reason of carrying a concealed weapon and delinquency by reason of illegal conveyance of a weapon, according to the county sheriff’s office.

Vandalia resident James Freeman said that while his children are now adults, safety in schools should always be prioritized.

“I can’t imagine how a young child could get a loaded gun out of the house,” Freeman told News Center 7′s Lewis. “It’s just frightening to know that parents aren’t maybe paying attention, or the level that they need to with that kind of stuff in a home.”

Freeman said he owns firearms, but keeps them locked.

“I just want the kids to be safe,” he said. “And I want us to have a good community for the kids that go to school in it.”