Parents raise concerns after firearms found on school campuses in DC, Virginia
MANASSAS PARK, Va. - Parents in the DMV region are raising concerns after firearms were found on school campuses in Washington, D.C., and Virginia within the past week.
Teacher arrested after gun found
On Monday, Oct. 26, a teacher was arrested after a loaded handgun was found in a Manassas Park City middle school parking lot, and on Thursday, Oct. 29, a gun was found inside a box of Halloween candy at an early education center in Northwest D.C.
According to court documents, Manassas Park High School art teacher Veronica Gooch-Ray told police she dropped her gun at the school last weekend, and didn't realize until it was found early Monday morning.
The incident forced Manassas Park officials to close all four of the city’s public schools on Monday. According to charging documents, Gooch-Ray said she believes she dropped the loaded handgun in the parking lot on Saturday while switching her belongings to her private car. She didn’t notice the handgun was missing until Monday when it was found by a fellow staffer and turned over to Manassas Park Police.
READ MORE | Manassas Park City teacher arrested after loaded handgun found in middle school parking lot
Gooch-Ray, 31, was charged with felony possession of a firearm on school property. She was released on bail and has been placed on administrative leave by the school system.
Court documents show she has no criminal history and do not mention why she owns a handgun.
Gooch-Ray hung up before FOX 5’s Bob Barnard could introduce himself. She is scheduled to appear for another court date in a few weeks.
Gun found at DC school
At KIPP Academy in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood, a gun was found inside a box of Halloween candy that was about to be distributed to young students.
Police are investigating how the loaded 9mm Glock got into the box of candy as parents raise concerns. The firearm was discovered by a teacher and the school said no students came into contact with it before it was turned over to police.
READ MORE |Gun found inside box of Halloween candy at DC school
What they're saying:
"The email we got just said they were distributing some candy and that they found a gun," said parent William Lee. "No students knew about it. Administrators took care of it, but that was that. I haven't heard anything since, but we have parent-teacher conferences today, so I'm coming up here, and I was gonna ask the administration about it. See if we can get more details on it."
"They immediately followed protocol that was required, so I’m trusting that, hopefully, that everything was done the way it was supposed to have been done," another parent said.
The Source: Information in this article is from Manassas Park Police, D.C. Police, court documents and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.