Student, 15, arrested with gun at St. Paul high school

Mara H. Gottfried, Pioneer Press
Updated ·3 min read
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Police say a 15-year-old student was arrested at a St. Paul high school with a handgun on Tuesday.

The incident comes after weapon scares at another St. Paul high school last week, though guns were not found in those cases.

On Tuesday, Harding Senior High School staff received information a teen had a gun. They brought him to an office, where they found and secured a handgun, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman. Police were called to the school on Sixth Street in the Dayton’s Bluff area at 10 a.m.

“There was no indication that this student ever used the gun to intimidate or threaten anyone in the school,” Ernster said.

The 15-year-old was booked at the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of possession of a firearm on school property and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number.

“Students and families are often aware of situations before adults, so please remind your child that it is important for them to immediately report concerns to a trusted adult,” Harding Principal Be Vang wrote in a letter home. “This helps us take quick action to ensure the safety of all students.”

St. Paul Public Schools has found two guns this school year; seven guns were found in the 2021-22 school year, according to a district spokesperson.

The school district is sharing information this week from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety “Safe & Secure” campaign about gun storage. People can request up to three free gun locks at dps.mn.gov/safe-secure.

Humboldt High School incidents

Last Thursday, officers responded to Humboldt High School on Baker Street on St. Paul’s West Side at 9:45 a.m. on a report of a student with a gun inside his bag. Police worked with school staff to conduct “a systematic search of the school, but did not locate the student involved,” Ernster said.

Then, on Friday morning, police were called to Humboldt on a report of three students involved in a physical confrontation with staff members, Ernster said. Police found two staff members with minor injuries and paramedics treated them at the scene.

Staff told police the incident happened because a student possibly had a BB gun at the school and they used a metal detector wand on him. It indicated something metal in the 17-year-old’s waistband, which was found to be a metal lid with suspected marijuana, according to Ernster.

Two other students who staff brought to the office with the 17-year-old became “argumentative” and “attempted to free the male from the office where he was being spoken to,” Ernster said. There was a confrontation between staff members and the two students, and a staff member used pepper spray to stop the assault, according to police. The two students ran from the school and weren’t found at the time.

Police cited the 17-year-old for possession of marijuana and disorderly conduct and released him to a parent.

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