Hempfield Area High School students found with gun

State police: Three students being questioned after guns found at Hempfield Area High School

Updated: 5:53 PM EDT Oct 2, 2023

STARTS RIGHT NOW. OKAY. THAT BREAKING NEWS RIGHT NOW. STATE POLICE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE LOCKDOWN AT HEMPFIELD HIGH SCHOOL TODAY. DISTRICT LEADERS SAY IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT TWO STUDENTS HAD A GUN PUTTING THAT SCHOOL ON LOCKDOWN. THE DISTRICT SAYS THE WEAPONS WERE SECURED AND THERE’S NO INDICATION OF ADDITIONAL WEAPONS OR MALICIOUS INTENT. ALL STUDENTS WERE SEARCHED OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION TODAY. LET’S TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT STATE POLICE ARE SAYING RIGHT NOW ABOUT THIS VERY ACTIVE INVESTIGATION AT THE MOMENT. I HAVE BEEN BRIEFED ON PERTINENT DETAILS OF THE INVESTIGATION, BUT I DO NOT HAVE ALL OF THE DETAILS. BUT WE WANTED TO BE SURE TO SPEAK WITH ALL OF YOU PROMPTLY AND SHARE WHAT WE COULD. SO CURRENTLY WE HAVE THREE STUDENTS UNDER INVESTIGATION. THEY ARE ALL 15 YEAR OLD MALE STUDENTS. IT’S FROM HEMPFIELD AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND I CAN GIVE YOU A SYNOPSIS OF WHAT TRANSPIRED EARLIER TODAY. SO TODAY, AT ABOUT 11:40 A.M., MEMBERS OF OUR TROOP, A GREENSBURG PATROL AND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION UNITS WERE DISPATCHED TO THE HEMPFIELD AREA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL FOR A REPORT OF A STUDENT FOUND IN POSSESSION OF A GUN. WHAT TRANSPIRED PRIOR TO THAT WAS SEVERAL STUDENTS DID THE RIGHT THING AND THEY CAME FORWARD AND REPORTED HAVING OBSERVED TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS EARLIER IN THE SCHOOL DAY INVOLVING THESE FIREARMS. SO WE HAVE TO FIREARMS RECOVERED. BOTH FIREARMS WERE IN POSSESSION OF. TWO STUDENTS. THEY WERE EACH FOUND BY THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS IN THE STUDENT’S BACKPACKS. THE STUDENTS WHO HAD OBSERVED THESE TRANSACTIONS QUICKLY NOTIFIED THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION, WHO THEN IN TURN NOTIFIED THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS AND THEY DID AN EXEMPLARY JOB OF IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFYING AND TRACKING DOWN THE TWO STUDENTS WHO WERE OBSERVED TO BE IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM. THEY WENT TO THOSE STUDENTS CLASSROOMS AND DETAINED THEM, SEARCHED THEIR BACKPACKS AND FOUND THE TWO FIREARMS. SO WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE EFFORTS AND THE QUICK COORDINATION OF OUR HEMPFIELD AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION AND THE SCHOOL RESOURCE RESOURCE OFFICERS THERE AT THE SCHOOL. IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS HEMPFIELD AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYS THESE SROS, THEY ARE POLICE OFFICERS. THEY DO HAVE ARREST POWERS TO CONDUCT INVESTIGATIONS, AS, HOWEVER, DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS SITUATION AND THE COMPLEXITY OF THE INVESTIGATION, THEY ASKED THAT THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE TAKE OVER THE CASE. OKAY. AGAIN, WE’D LIKE TO THANK THE STUDENTS WHO OBSERVED THESE TRANSACTIONS AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL DAY, AND I’LL GO INTO SOME DETAIL THERE OF WHAT WHAT OCCURRED. SO BASED UPON INTERVIEWS THAT WE’VE CONDUCTED SO FAR AND WE’VE CONDUCTED MANY, MANY INTERVIEWS WITH THE INVOLVED STUDENTS AND WITH MANY OTHER STUDENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS AS WELL, AND THE SROS INVOLVED. SO WE BELIEVE THAT BASED ON THESE INTERVIEWS AND INFORMATION THAT WE’VE OBTAINED, ONE STUDENT BROUGHT BOUGHT TWO OF THESE HANDGUNS, BOTH HANDGUNS WITH HIM AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL DAY, ON THE SCHOOL BUS PRIOR TO THE START OF CLASSES FOR THE DAY. WE BELIEVE THAT THAT STUDENT TO TRANSFERRED ONE OF THE FIREARMS TO ANOTHER STUDENT ON THE SCHOOL BUS. CLASSES THEN BEGAN AND WE BELIEVE THAT THAT SAME STUDENT THEN MET THE THIRD STUDENT IN A BATHROOM IN THE HIGH SCHOOL, AND THAT IS WHERE THE EXCHANGE OF THE SECOND HANDGUN TOOK PLACE. THAT’S OUR UNDERSTANDING. AS OF NOW, WE KNOW THAT BOTH TRANSACTION GUNS WERE WITNESSED BY OTHER STUDENTS. THOSE ARE THE STUDENTS THAT MADE THE REPORT TO THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION. AGAIN, BOTH OF THESE HANDGUNS WERE FOUND TO BE LOADED. I’M NOT GOING TO GO INTO HOW MANY ROUNDS WE RECOVERED, BUT WE RECOVERED NUMEROUS ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION AS OF NOW, WE THANKFULLY DO NOT HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THESE INVOLVE STUDENTS WERE PLANNING ANY SORT OF ATTACK. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY INDICATION OF THAT AT CERTAINLY WE ARE PURSUING THAT POSSIBILITY AS WE HAVE FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE INVESTIGATION TODAY. BUT AS OF NOW, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY INDICATORS THAT THEY WERE PLANNING ANY SORT OF ATTACK. WHAT WE BELIEVE IS THAT THESE STUDENTS WERE IN CONTACT YESTERDAY AND POSSIBLY OTHER TIMES AS WELL. THAT WILL BE UNDER INVESTIGATION. AN AND THAT THEY CHOSE TO USE THE SCHOOL AS A PLACE TO EXCHANGE THESE FIREARMS. WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE NUMEROUS LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WHO CAME TO ASSIST US TODAY. WE WOULD ESPECIALLY LIKE TO THANK DR. WOLICKI AND HER STAFF, HER ADMINISTRATION, THE FACULTY OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. THEY DID A TREMENDOUS JOB AS THE SCHOOL WENT INTO A LOCKDOWN, JUST AS WE ASKED THEM TO DO IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. THEY DID EXACTLY THE RIGHT THING. THEY WENT INTO A LOCKDOWN AND LET THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS AND THE LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPOND AND CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION AND ENSURE THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE AT THE CAMPUS. AS YOU MAY KNOW, THE SCHOOL WAS LOCKED DOWN FOR A CONSIDERABLE PERIOD OF TIME. A CREDIT GOES TO THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION FOR BEING ABLE TO DISMISS STUDENTS ALMOST ON TIME. AS I RECALL, IT WAS A 15 MINUTE DELAY FROM THEIR NORMAL DISMISSAL TIME. AND DR. WOLICKI CAN SPEAK TO THAT. BUT THIS CERTAINLY IS AN INCIDENT WHERE CAUSED A LOT OF CONCERN, RIGHTLY SO, IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. WE TRAIN FOR THESE INCIDENTS AS SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS AND SROS AND SECURITY GUARDS. THEY TRAIN FOR THESE INCIDENTS. WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR THAT TRAINING. IT CAME INTO PLAY IN A BIG WAY TODAY. AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. EVERYONE WAS QUICKLY IDENTIFIED AND THE WEAPONS WERE RECOVERED. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT AMONG THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WHO RESPONDED TODAY WERE AGENCIES FROM OUTSIDE OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY. WE HAD K-9 TEAMS SEARCHING THE SCHOOL. WE DID A VERY WITH ASSISTANCE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT PERSONNEL AND SROS. WE CONDUCTED A VERY THOROUGH, METHODICAL SEARCH OF THE CAMPUS TO TODAY. AND THAT TOOK SOME TIME. BUT THAT’S HOW THAT’S HOW IT HAS TO BE DONE IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS. SO WE THANK THE STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY AND THE TEACHERS FOR THEIR PATIENCE TODAY. WE THANK THE FAMILIES OF HEMPFIELD AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THEIR PATIENCE. I KNOW THAT IN MY EXPERIENCE OVER THE YEARS, IT’S VERY TYPICAL WHEN YOU HAVE AN INCIDENT SUCH AS THIS AT A SCHOOL THAT FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WANT TO RESPOND TO. THE SCHOOL TO HELP. AND THAT’S THAT’S GREAT THAT THEY WANT TO HELP. WE’RE THANKFUL THAT TODAY, AS A RESULT OF THE EARLY COMMUNICATION FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO THE FAMILIES, FAMILIES WERE NOT COMING TO THE SCHOOL, POSSIBLY IMPEDING THE EFFORTS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND WE APPRECIATE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ALL ARRIVE AT THE SCHOOL AND DO OUR JOBS VERY QUICKLY, VERY THOROUGHLY. ONE FINAL NOTE. WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE WESTMORELAND COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE. THEY ARE VERY MUCH AWARE OF THIS INCIDENT TODAY. WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THEM, MOVING FORWARD, SHARING ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE WITH THEM REGARDING ANY PROSECUTORIAL DECISIONS. AS OF NOW, THESE 315 YEAR OLD MALES ARE ALL BEING TREATED AS JUVENILES AS AND CHARGES WILL BE FILED IN THE COMING HOURS TO THE APPROPRIATE CIRCUMSTANCE OUNCE. SO AT THIS TIME, I WILL TURN THIS OVER TO DR. WOLICKI. SHE’D LIKE TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS WITH YOU. DR. WOLICKI THANK YOU. OKAY, ANDREW, WE’RE GOING TO BREAK DOWN EXACTLY WHAT THE STATE POLICE ARE TELLING US OUT OF HEMPFILD. A REALLY TROUBLING SITUATION. TROUBLING NOT JUST FOR STUDENTS THERE, BUT ALSO FOR PARENTS IN THAT DISTRICT, STAFF MEMBERS. OKAY. WE’RE GOING TO LISTEN BACK IN TO THE DISTRICT LEADERS HERE AT HEMPFIELD. WE WERE GREATLY SUPPORTED BY THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE AND WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THE TIMELINESS AND THE SUPPORT THAT WE RECEIVED THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON. I DO WANT TO START BY SAYING TO ALL TO OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY THAT THE SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF IS OF THE UTMOST PRIORITY. SO AS SOON AS WE BECOME AWARE OF ANY SITUATION OF CONCERN, WE DO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION. WE HAVE MANY DRILLS FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE AND OUR DRILLS ARE FOR OUR STAFF AS WELL AS FOR OUR STUDENTS AND WHAT WE SAW TODAY WAS THE ACTUAL IZATION OF THOSE DRILLS. WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THE STUDENTS WHO CAME FORWARD, AND I THINK THAT’S A TESTAMENT TO OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR COMFORT IN COMING AND TALKING TO A TEACHER, TO AN ADMINISTRATOR, TO ONE OF OUR SCHOOL POLICE OFFICERS, BECAUSE THEY ARE THE STUDENTS WHO MANY TIMES ARE AWARE OF THESE SITUATIONS BEFORE WE ARE. AND TO THOSE PARTICULAR STUDENTS, THEY DID EXACTLY WHAT WE WANTED THEM TO DO WAS TO MAKE ADMINISTRATION AWARE. WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THE PATIENCE OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE UNDERSTAND AS PARENTS, AGAIN, THE FIRST RESPONSE IS TO WANT TO COME TO THIS SCHOOL. BUT WE TOOK IMMEDIATE ACTION TO SECURE OUR PERIMETER TO HAVE AN INTERNAL LOCKDOWN AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD SYSTEMATICALLY ASSURE THAT THERE WERE NO ADDITIONAL WEAPONS WITHIN OUR SCHOOL. AND THAT WAS OUR OUR FIRST PRIORITY WAS TO MAKE SURE. OKAY, SO WE’RE HEARING FROM HEMPFIELD SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT THERE ABOUT THE GUNS THAT WERE FOUND ON CAMPUS TODAY. AND WE HEARD DETAILS FROM STATE POLICE INVESTIGATING THIS. HERE’S WHAT WE WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT WE’VE LEARNED JUST NOW FROM STATE POLICE. JUST RECAPPING HERE, STATE POLICE TELLING US THAT ONE STUDENT, THEY’RE INVESTIGATING 315 YEAR OLDS IN ALL OF THIS. ONE OF THOSE STUDENTS, THEY SAY, BROUGHT TWO GUNS TO SCHOOL, GAVE ONE STUDENT A GUN ON THE SCHOOL BUS. ANOTHER STUDENT, A GUN IN A SCHOOL BATHROOM. AND HAD OTHER STUDENTS. IN THIS CASE, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. AND THESE STUDENTS SPOKE UP AND SAID SOMETHING AND REPORTED THESE GUNS WITH AMMUNITION TO THE AUTHORITIES AND TO SCHOOL STAFF, WE ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT THOSE THEY WERE SO GRATEFUL FOR THOSE OTHER STUDENTS FOR REPORTING IT. AND THE OTHER INTERESTING THING WAS THE FACT THAT NO ATTACK WAS PLANNED AS FAR AS THEIR INVESTIGATION IS DISCOVERED SO FAR. SO THESE 315 YEAR OLD BOYS WILL BE TREATED AS JUVENILES. BUT OF COURSE, CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS SITUATION AS IT DEVELOPS. BUT ONCE AGAIN, PEOPLE SAID SOMETHING AND SOMETHING WAS

State police: Three students being questioned after guns found at Hempfield Area High School

Updated: 5:53 PM EDT Oct 2, 2023

Three students are being investigated in connection to two handguns found on Hempfield Area High School’s campus Monday. The search by state police caused a temporary lockdown at the school.During a news conference, state Trooper Cliff Greenfield said police were dispatched around 11:40 a.m. after students reported seeing other students exchanging handguns. K-9 officers, as well as police from outside Westmoreland County, responded to the school.The first exchange occurred between two students on the bus to school that morning, Greenfield said. The second exchange, involving a different gun, happened between one of those same students and a third student on school grounds. The firearms were located in the students’ backpacks. The guns were loaded, though Greenfield would not say how many rounds of ammunition were recovered.The students had been in contact on Sunday to plan the exchanges. According to Greenfield, there is no reason to believe the students involved were planning an attack at this time. Greenfield thanked the students who reported witnessing the guns being traded. He also thanked teachers and school staff for their cooperation as police investigated. Hempfield Area Superintendent Tammy Wolicki thanked the police who responded, adding that safety was an “utmost priority” for students and staff. She reiterated that instances like this were why the school held lockdown drills.She said students would have to go through additional security measures, including metal detectors, when entering the school Tuesday.A message from the school was sent earlier in the day regarding the guns found. It read in part, “The weapons have been secured and there is no indication of additional weapons or malicious intent. However, out of an abundance of caution, all students and the physical school are being searched.”The students brought in for questioning are being treated as juveniles at this time, Greenfield said. The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office has been informed about this investigation.

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. —

Three students are being investigated in connection to two handguns found on Hempfield Area High School’s campus Monday. The search by state police caused a temporary lockdown at the school.

During a news conference, state Trooper Cliff Greenfield said police were dispatched around 11:40 a.m. after students reported seeing other students exchanging handguns. K-9 officers, as well as police from outside Westmoreland County, responded to the school.

The first exchange occurred between two students on the bus to school that morning, Greenfield said. The second exchange, involving a different gun, happened between one of those same students and a third student on school grounds.

The firearms were located in the students’ backpacks. The guns were loaded, though Greenfield would not say how many rounds of ammunition were recovered.

The students had been in contact on Sunday to plan the exchanges. According to Greenfield, there is no reason to believe the students involved were planning an attack at this time.

Greenfield thanked the students who reported witnessing the guns being traded. He also thanked teachers and school staff for their cooperation as police investigated.

Hempfield Area Superintendent Tammy Wolicki thanked the police who responded, adding that safety was an “utmost priority” for students and staff. She reiterated that instances like this were why the school held lockdown drills.

She said students would have to go through additional security measures, including metal detectors, when entering the school Tuesday.

A message from the school was sent earlier in the day regarding the guns found. It read in part, “The weapons have been secured and there is no indication of additional weapons or malicious intent. However, out of an abundance of caution, all students and the physical school are being searched.”

The students brought in for questioning are being treated as juveniles at this time, Greenfield said. The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office has been informed about this investigation.