A 15-year-old student was arrested at Todd Beamer High School for possessing a gun.

On Oct. 29, the student was found to have a gun after there had been a report that he sent a picture to a group chat holding a gun saying, “Don’t go to school tomorrow.”

According to a report from the Federal Way Police Department, at about 7:43 a.m., an officer received a call asking if they knew anything about the student. Another report from a student at Thomas Jefferson High School, who was the sister of a boy shot and killed in Seattle on Oct. 28, 2024, said that the student had sent her threats, telling her not to go to Thomas Jefferson High School the next day, and sent a picture of a firearm.

After learning about the threats, officers were informed that the student was not at school, but at about 9:32 a.m., the attendance administrator reported that he had arrived. The attendance administrator told police that the student seemed to have something heavy pulling down on his front jacket pocket.

The student was then brought into the principal’s office to be interviewed about the threats. The responding officer said in the report that he saw the student with the heavy object in his front jacket pocket, and although he could not see the imprint of a firearm, he advised the principal that he could have a firearm due to the recent threats.

The principal told the officer that there was not enough reasonable suspicion to search the student, and the student returned to classes, according to the police report.

Following the student’s return to classes, at about 11:40 a.m., another student reported that he believed the student who made the threats had a firearm. The student said that he reached toward the student who had made threats to give him something, and he accidentally touched his chest and could feel the handle of a gun, according to the police report.

Following this report, the student who had made threats was called into the school conference room, and he was told he was going to be frisked because there was reasonable suspicion that he was in possession of a firearm. Officers then felt the impression of a handle and a barrel to a firearm just from touching the outside of the coat. The juvenile was then put under arrest, and the firearm was removed from his person, according to the report.

The report said that the firearm was real and loaded, and the hammer was pulled back in a ready-to-fire position. The firearm was subsequently booked into evidence, and the student was booked without incident.

A further search of the student located one nicotine vape, one marijuana vape, two lighters, a charging cable, a single dollar bill, and a white cell phone on his person, according to the report.

Federal Way Public Schools spokesperson Jessica Morgan said the district has no reason to believe there was intent to use the weapon on campus. However, Morgan said when students are found to have firearms on campus, they face immediate expulsion for one year, in addition to applicable criminal charges filed by law enforcement. Following the expulsion, she said it is standard practice that a threat assessment is conducted, a re-entry conference is held, and a re-entry plan is put in place that the student must adhere to.

Morgan said every year, families receive the student handbook, which outlines district policies, and families are required to acknowledge they have reviewed it with their students before the start of school.

Morgan said families should continue to partner with the district by ensuring that items like firearms do not come to school as they are prohibited. She a tipline at 253-945-SAFE is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for anonymously reporting any dangerous behaviors or safety concerns.

“We encourage all students, staff, and families: if you see something, say something,” Morgan said. “Family and community partnership is one of the keys to ensuring the safety of our schools.”