24-05-2025
Albuquerque Public Schools students accused of bringing gun to school
May 23—Two students were arrested after allegedly bringing a handgun to Atrisco Heritage Academy High School on Thursday, the second time this week a firearm made its way onto a district campus.
The unidentified 16-year-old boys were charged with bringing a firearm to school and booked into the juvenile detention center.
The 2nd Judicial District Attorney's Office is looking to get a hearing scheduled next week to determine if the boys will remain behind bars, according to spokesperson Nancy Laflin.
The gun found at Atrisco Heritage Academy was the 15th firearm located on an APS campus this school year, including charter schools, and comes two days after a 13-year-old student at Jimmy Carter Middle School was arrested after allegedly bringing a loaded gun to school. Following a hearing on Thursday, he remains in custody.
"Keeping schools safe is a constant effort. We are constantly encouraging our students, staff and families to say something if they see something and to let us know if they have any safety concerns," APS spokesperson Martin Salazar wrote in a statement. "That strategy is paying off; it's how we've discovered most, if not all, of the weapons that we recovered this year."
In the case of the Atrisco Heritage incident, a family member of one of the arrested students found a magazine at their home but noticed the gun was missing and notified the school, Salazar added. He said that no motive has been determined for bringing the firearm onto school grounds.
"The gun was found in the center console of a vehicle. Because this is a criminal case, we need a warrant to access it. As a result, the vehicle was sealed, towed and secured by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office until the warrant can be executed," Salazar said, noting that the butt of the gun was visible from outside the car.
Parents were notified of the incident via a letter emailed out Thursday from Atrisco Heritage Academy Principal Anthony Lovato.
The students involved did not express any intention of harming themselves or others, Lovato wrote. "Nevertheless, the fact that this firearm was brought onto campus is unacceptable. Possessing any weapon, particularly a gun, on school grounds is a violation of our rules. As a consequence, the student responsible for bringing the gun onto campus will face disciplinary measures, up to and including expulsion and prosecution."
