An 11-year-old student in Washington state was charged with attempted murder after authorities discovered a gun, several knives, and rounds of ammunition on him at school, The New York Daily News reported.
The boy, who has not been identified, was heavily armed when he attended Frontier Middle School in Vancouver on Wednesday. He is currently being held for his charges at a Clark County juvenile detention center, according to police spokeswoman Kim Kapp.
After police officers received a call around 9:30 a.m., both Frontier and nearby Pioneer Elementary School were placed on lockdown for two hours.
Authorities have not released specific details on targets the boy may have had.
"We got a message on the intercom, and they said we were in lockdown," said sixth-grader Zaniah Matthews. "We were under the table for about an hour, and then we could move around."
The frightening incident came just two days after a 12-year-old student at Sparks Middle School in Nevada opened fire at school, killing his teacher and wounding two other students. The shooter, who has yet to be identified, also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Additionally, a second U.S. teacher was killed by a student this week. A math teacher at Danvers High School in Massachusetts was found dead after being stabbed to death by one of her male students.
The 14-year-old boy, identified as Philip Chism, was arraigned in court on Wednesday morning for the murder of Colleen Ritzer. Police began investigating the homicide after both Chism and Ritzer were reported as missing.
All three incidents have been adding to debates over school violence and safety in determining the most effective methods to ensure that all students and faculty are safe.
Most gun control advocates have protested for stricter gun control laws to curb gun violence in school while some anti-gun control advocates have promoted allowing school administrators to bring licensed guns to work.
