Whitman HS Student Charged with Loaded Gun

Montgomery County police said a 16-year-old Walt Whitman High School student was charged as an adult after officers found a loaded handgun in his backpack on school grounds in Bethesda on Wednesday. Police identified the student as Andre Wilson of Bethesda and said the gun was recovered after officers investigated an altercation involving teenagers at Westfield Montgomery Mall earlier in the day. The case began at about 12:12 p.m., according to a county news release, and ended with school staff pulling the student from class and police taking him into custody. No injuries were reported at Walt Whitman High School, police said. ### How did police say the gun was discovered? Police said officers were first dispatched to Westfield Montgomery Mall on May 13 for a report of an altercation involving teenagers from two separate high schools. During that encounter, one of the teens allegedly displayed a handgun to the other group, according to the county release. Investigators then identified that teen as a Walt Whitman High School student. (montgomerycountymd.gov) School officials at Walt Whitman High School were then contacted by police, the county said. Officers and school security located Wilson, removed him from class and took him to a secure room, where a search of his backpack turned up the weapon, according to the release. ### What weapon and charges did police list? (montgomerycountymd.gov) Montgomery County police said the backpack contained a loaded 9mm Ruger handgun with an obliterated serial number and a magazine. The county release did not say whether the gun had been fired. Wilson was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, possession of a firearm by a minor, illegal possession of ammunition, carrying a handgun on person, possession of a firearm with a serial number obliterated, illegal possession of a regulated firearm and loaded handgun on person, police said. (montgomerycountymd.gov) The release said he was being charged as an adult and held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. ### Where is Walt Whitman High School, and who runs it? Walt Whitman High School is located at 7100 Whittier Boulevard in Bethesda, according to Montgomery County Public Schools. The school’s principal is Gregory Miller, the district’s school overview page says. Montgomery County Public Schools has not posted a public press release about the May 13 arrest on its main news page, based on pages available Thursday. (montgomerycountymd.gov) The district’s Whitman school site lists general school information and calendars, but the police account of the arrest came from the county government’s news release. ### Why does this case land in a county already focused on school safety? (ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org) Montgomery County school officials were already addressing school safety after a Feb. 9 shooting at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville. In that case, county police said a 16-year-old student was taken into custody after another 16-year-old student was shot inside the school and hospitalized in stable condition. (montgomeryschoolsmd.org) On Feb. 12, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Taylor told families that the Wootton shooting had “reignited a chain of traumatic emotions” across the county and said nearly 100 mental health professionals had been on site at Wootton during the week. Taylor also said the district was reviewing school safety audits and emergency procedures. (montgomerycountymd.gov) ### What is the next concrete step in this case? May 13 is the latest public date tied to the Whitman case in the county release, which said Wilson was in custody at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. Police did not list a court date, defense lawyer or additional hearing details in the release. (ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org) Montgomery County police said more case information would come through the charging process, while Montgomery County Public Schools continues to publish school information for Whitman through its district and school pages. Any next public milestone is likely to be a court appearance or an additional police update naming the venue and date. (montgomerycountymd.gov)