Loaded Gun on EVSC Bus

A 10 year old EVSC student was caught with a loaded 9 mm handgun on his bus ride home from Stringtown Elementary Wednesday afternoon. No one was hurt in the incident, and EVSC officials are praising the bus driver for quick thinking that helped prevent the situation from escalating. Evansville Police and EVSC staff say the driver noticed the boy brandishing the gun during while driving an afternoon route. The driver approached the student, took the gun, and radioed for help. Police met the bus at the downtown Evansville EVSC transportation yard, and took the boy into custody. EVSC officials believe the boy had the gun inside Stringtown Elementary, and plan to question teachers and students there in the coming days to see if the boy showed the gun at any other time. Police questioned the child, who reportedly told them that he did not bring the gun to hurt anyone. According to investigators, he said he was looking around his house for some chewing gum, found the gun, and decided to bring it to school to show it off. Police say the gun was loaded. The boy faces possible expulsion and his parents could be charged as well in connection with the case. Despite the incident, EVSC interim Superintendent Bob Yeager says the schools are safe, and this was an isolated incident. He says the corporation will look at ways to step up security in the wake of this incident, but says that work starts with parents. "One thing that can happen, and needs to happen, is parents need to make sure if they have firearms or have weapons at home, that they are locked up and not accessible to kids," Yeager said. "That would have prevented this whole incident." Yeager says the corporation will look at ways to use the incident as a teaching lesson, and they plan to stress with their students that guns and weapons will not be tolerated at EVSC schools. He also says that the student who brought the gun is remorseful, and hopes he will also learn from the incident. "This doesnt mean necessarily he is a bad student, or a bad kid. It means he made a mistake, and kids make mistakes, and as adults, we need to support our kids and restore them to the place where they can be successful, and thats what our hope is," Yeager said. The boy will be in Juvenile Court Friday.