Student Accused of Bringing AR-15 Rifle to Phoenix High School Arrested

By Julianne McShane - NBC News

Police arrested a 15-year-old student who allegedly brought an AR-15 assault rifle and ammunition to a Phoenix, Arizona, high school on Friday, according to authorities.

The student faces "felony charges" and is accused of bringing the semiautomatic rifle — the weapon most often used in the worst 21 massacres of the past 17 years — to Bostrom High School. He was arrested at the institute's principal's office Friday around 1 p.m. local time, according to a news release from the Phoenix Police Department.

Police also said they had discovered cartridges for the gun hidden in his backpack and lunch box.

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School officials alerted police after they were told by "other people on campus" that "the student may have a gun," said Donna Rossi, director of communications for Phoenix police, in an interview with NBC News.

Administrators were alerted about the possible weapon on campus during the lunch hour, a spokesperson for Phoenix Unified High School District said in a statement.

Bostrom High School in Phoenix, Arizona.NBC News

"As soon as school officials were notified of the possible weapon on campus," they closed the school and banned everyone from entering and leaving, Rossi added.

School officials "recognized that the report was accurate and local authorities intervened and confiscated the weapon," according to the school district's statement.

The student remains in a juvenile detention center charged with "possession of a firearm in the hands of a minor, carrying a weapon in a school and interfering with an institute," among other charges, Rossi said.

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A police unit specializing in gun crimes is investigating the case with the help of school officials. The student who carried the gun has not been publicly identified.

"We commend those who reported the possibility of a weapon on school grounds," the police department said in a statement.

Authorities did not reveal the identity of the complainants or clarify how the detained student obtained the weapon and ammunition. They also did not say how long he could face in prison if convicted or whether his guardians or parents could face charges.