A northwest suburban high school student faces several felony charges for bringing an unloaded handgun and ammunition to school on Monday, prompting a lockdown, according to police.
Kyle Johnson, 16, was charged as an adult with unlawful use of a weapon, according to Cynthia Vargas, spokeswoman for the Lake County state’s attorney’s office.
The teen was initially charged as a juvenile with with six felonies, including unlawful use of a weapon on school grounds, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and three counts of possession of a controlled substance, according to Barrington police.
A school faculty member saw a student with a gun in a restroom, and the school was placed on campus-wide lockdown, according to an earlier statement from Barrington 220 School District and Barrington police.
Police arrived less than one minute later and searched the building. The student was found with an unloaded gun and ammunition in a backpack, according to the statement. Police also found marijuana, Xanax bars, Strattera pills and psilocybin mushrooms in the backpack.
The student was taken into custody, and after police determined he acted alone, the lockdown was lifted. It lasted less than an hour before normal activities resumed.
“All students are safe, everyone is accounted for, and police remain on site to assist with school personnel,” the statement said. “We want to commend all members of the high school community for immediately responding to the lockdown and following all security protocols. As a result, the student was identified and apprehended, and the safety of everyone was verified.”
Johnson’s bond was set at $75,000, according to the state’s attorney’s office. He was being held at the Lake County Juvenile Justice Complex.
