Teen Arrested After Shelter In Place At Fairfield School: Police

FAIRFIELD, CT — A student at Walter Fitzgerald Campus was arrested and charged Thursday after the school community was asked to shelter in place for several hours while police searched for a firearm reported to be on campus, according to law enforcement.

No gun was found, but a 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged with second-degree breach of peace in connection with an altercation with a fellow student that occurred Wednesday afternoon at the school, police said.

The police department’s school unit was notified 8:15 a.m. Thursday that there might be a firearm at the school, according to Lt. Antonio Granata. Students sheltered in place until noon as officers and K-9s looked for the weapon, Granata said. The school has since resumed its normal operations.

The presence of a possible weapon on campus was reported to police after a student involved in Wednesday’s altercation told school administrators Thursday that they believed the other student involved in the altercation had a handgun at the time of the incident, Granata said. In addition to searching the school, officers reviewed surveillance of the altercation, and were unable to confirm the presence of a firearm, according to Granata.

Fairfield school officials sent multiple messages to parents during the search Thursday, providing updates on the situation.