lincoln high school

San Diego Police Praised For De-escalation After Lincoln High Student Brings Ghost Gun to School

Community activist is relieved police used de-escalation instead of lethal force

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A 16-year-old student from Lincoln High School could face charges for taking a ghost gun and ammunition to school, officials said.

The unidentified student was wheeled out on a stretcher Tuesday and taken by ambulance for a medical checkup after San Diego Police shot him with a bean bag round.

The school was on lockdown Tuesday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. The incident started when a teacher took the unidentified student to the principal’s office after seeing a gun clip fall out of his pocket.

Police say while in the office the student became agitated, refused to give his backpack to staff and administrators, and told them he had a gun. After the situation in the office escalated, police say, the office administrators and staff left for their own safety. When the teen left the office, he put his hands up and then police say he reached into his waistband allegedly for the ghost gun. Police shot him with the bean bag.

“SWAT was called,” said San Diego Police Department Spokesperson Lieutenant Adam Sharki. “Swat has a number of less lethal tools with them and with SWAT also comes an emergency negotiation team. So, all this coming in short order, increased the chances of having a result, and that happened in this case.”

Sharki said the 16-year-old was taken for a medical evaluation as is standard after someone is shot by a bean bag or taser. If he was a danger to himself or others, Sharki said, he would have been given a mental health evaluation, though Sharki is not at liberty to confirm if that happened in this case.

Sharki said, “If there are charges such as having an unregistered ghost gun, having a firearm on campus, juvenile services and school police can work with the district attorney if it’s appropriate to do so.”

Tasha Williamson, a community activist, and the mother of two sons who graduated from Lincoln High said she is relieved. “I’m just so thankful they did not use live rounds. That assures me that San Diego Police Department and San Diego school police all know how to deescalate a situation where there are weapons.”

Sharki said, “We had a 16-year-old taken into custody with a minimal amount of force, minimal amount of injury, and no one got hurt as a result, and that’s success.  That’s what we hope to accomplish here.”

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