BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
Two tenth graders have been arrested after one of them allegedly pointed a handgun at the head of another student Tuesday at Tara High School in Baton Rouge.
Witnesses told deputies that Jesus Morejon, 17, took the .38 caliber gun and put it directly on another student's face during class.
According to reports, Morejon then gave the weapon to a 16-year-old. The gun was later found unloaded in the 16-year-old's backpack.
According to reports, the 16-year-old told deputies he had bought the gun illegally off the street.
Susan Nelson of the East Baton
Rouge Parish School System says the quick actions of several nearby students
helped streamline the rapid response.
"The see something, say something
rule has really served us well. We have a lot of students that are very
vigilant and that applies to any kind of odd behavior that may have triggered
some of the other national events," said Nelson.
But while administrators and
investigators moved quickly, some parents say more should have been done to
keep them informed of the situation. In fact, the five relatives we spoke to
picking up students all said they had not been notified.
"Once they found out that one of
the students had a gun they should have told everybody, the parents," said
Andrea Brown.
Nelson says parents are always
notified in these types of situations but that in this case, the timing of the
incident coupled with a need to secure the scene presented a challenge.
"We want to make sure we keep
that level of confidentiality that allows police, or in this case, the
sheriff's department in this case to do their work and good work instead of
letting people know something is going to happen," said Nelson.
Morejon has been charged with illegal carrying of a weapon on school
property and aggravated assault. He has been booked into parish prison.
The
16-year-old has been charged with illegal carrying of a weapon on
school property. He has been booked into juvenile detention.
Students with information concerning this incident or similar incidents are encouraged to notify a school administrator, contact the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office at 225-389-5000 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at (225) 344- STOP or (225) 344-7867. Students can also text "CS225" plus their message to CRIMES (274637).
Copyright 2013 WAFB. All rights reserved.
Jesus Morejon (Source: EBRSO)
