An Arizona high school student was arrested Friday after allegedly bringing an AR-15 and ammunition to his Phoenix school.
The juvenile was arrested around 1 p.m. Friday in Bostrom High School’s main office after police were called about a student with a gun, the Phoenix Police Department said in a release.
In addition to the semi-automatic rifle, he was also found with ammunition inside his backpack and lunchbox, police said.
The school was placed under lockdown “as soon as school officials were notified of the possible gun on campus,” Donna Rossi, director of communications for the Phoenix police, told NBC News, which identified the student as a 15-year-old male.
The boy, who was not identified because he is a minor, faces multiple felonies and remained in police custody as of Saturday, police said in their release.
Authorities did not say how the child obtained the firearm or whether a motive for bringing it to school was known. A spokesperson for the police department told JS Sunday that they are unable to comment on additional details about the incident as they remain under investigation.
“We commend those who originally reported the possibility of a weapon on school grounds to adults on campus who immediately called police,” the police department’s release states.
The school district did not immediately respond to JS’s request for comment Sunday.
AR-15-style weapons have become popular firearms in mass shootings with them used in seven of the nation’s 10 deadliest mass shootings within the last four decades. Each magazine typically carries 30 rounds.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly called for a national ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines in an effort to curb gun violence.