Four Guns Seized at APS High Schools

Albuquerque Public Schools police seized four firearms from two high school campuses on Tuesday in separate incidents that prompted officials to praise safety protocols while expressing outrage over weapons being brought to school.

The guns were discovered at West Mesa High School and Albuquerque High School through what Superintendent Gabriella Blakey called effective “See Something, Say Something” reporting by students and staff.

“We are outraged that firearms were brought onto our campuses but grateful that the systems we put in place to keep our campuses safe worked,” Blakey said in a statement.

At West Mesa High School, a teacher activated a Centegix alert badge after learning a student was seen with a gun in a bathroom. The school resource officer and administrators responded immediately to the classroom, detaining the student after an altercation. Police found the weapon during a search of the student’s backpack.

KOAT has video from a student in the classroom that shows the officer pointing his weapon at the student and ordering him to get on the ground as students watch from their desks.

Following notification of the first incident, another person reported that a different West Mesa student might have a gun. APS police and administrators searched that student and found a second firearm. The student was detained, according to the APS statement.

At Albuquerque High School, a staff member overheard information that a student might possess a gun. An administrator located the student and found the weapon during a backpack search. The student was detained.

School officials later received information about another potentially armed student at Albuquerque High. Administrative and security officers quickly searched the student’s backpack and found a handgun. That student was also detained.

According to the APS statement, a fifth incident was prevented when an APS campus service aide spotted a Del Norte High School student who was being sought by police due to prior incidents and reports she might be armed. The aide saw the student and her boyfriend, also a Del Norte student, walking outside the school gate. Both ran when approached but were taken into custody by Albuquerque Police Department and APS officers. A gun was found during their search.

Blakey credited the district’s safety measures, including Centegix alert badges that activate emergency protocols and summon police and administrators.

“Our staff is reacting quickly to any reports of guns on campus, and our APS Police Department is working tirelessly to follow up on safety concerns,” she said.

Students found with guns on campus face one-year expulsion and criminal prosecution. APS police are working with the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office on all cases.

The superintendent said the district is collaborating with District Attorney Sam Bregman on both prevention measures and ensuring accountability for anyone who brings firearms to school.