A woman in Pennsylvania was arrested this week after officials at her 6-year-old son’s elementary school found a handgun and bullets in his backpack, prosecutors said.
Devlin’s bond was set at $50,000 unsecured by Magisterial District Judge Albert Augustine, who also ordered the woman to not have contact with children as part of an additional condition of the bond.
According to investigators, the boy showed the firearm—a 9 millimeter Jimenez Arms semi-automatic handgun—to a group of students on a school bus. The students immediately reported the incident to the school secretary at Joseph K. Gotwals Elementary School.
The handgun and bullets were recovered by the school secretary after she brought the boy into her office and searched his backpack.
Bishop praised the group of students who notified officials of what they witnessed on the bus, alleging their actions prevented “another tragedy at a school.”
“These children are the true heroes in this unfortunate incident,” the police chief said. “Their notification to school officials resulted in an immediate response by Norristown Police, ensuring the safety of everyone at the school.”
Investigators found that Devlin obtained the handgun through a straw purchase via a 33-year-old Norristown man, Joseph Rudnitskas, in March 2022.
On April 9, 2022, Rudnitskas was arrested and is awaiting trial on multiple felony charges related to the illegal purchases and sales of four firearms, including the firearm in this incident, police said.
Straw purchases are a federal crime where a person buys a firearm or firearms for another person who cannot legally buy firearms themselves.
Prosecutors revealed that they believe the boy found the 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun inside a dresser in Devlin’s room when his older brother showed it to him, “pretending to shoot him.” The boy then put the firearm in his backpack the night before bringing it to school.
“His 10-year-old brother took the bullets out of the gun and was pointing the gun at his brother, pretending to shoot him,” according to the district attorney’s office. “The 6-year-old told detectives that in the middle of the night, he went into the bedroom and put the firearm into his backpack, and then took the gun to school.”
Steele used the case as a “frightening reminder” to families that keep a gun in their home, and warned them to be sure the firearm, or firearms, are stored safely and that all family members know the rules about handling guns.
“This incident is a frightening reminder of the fact that children can and do find unsecured firearms in a home, and they play with them,” said Steele.
“Thankfully, these young boys were not shot or injured in their home, and no one was shot or injured at school thanks to the quick action by school personnel. This case is also a reminder of just how dangerous straw-purchased firearms are,” the district attorney added.
