Kapolei school gets locked down after student shows gun

Kapolei Middle School was locked down for an hour and 20 minutes Thursday morning after a student allegedly showed off a handgun on campus, according to police and the state Department of Education.

After school administrators spoke with patrol officers responding to the call, a student was arrested on suspicion of multiple alleged firearm offenses, Hono­lulu Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan told reporters during a news conference.

“I cannot overemphasize how extremely lucky and how grateful we are that no students or staff members were injured today,” Logan said. “This investigation continues.”

Because the case involves a juvenile, HPD is limited on the kind of information it can share, he said, and no “details will be released at this time.”

“Speaking generally, for incidents involving firearms, it is a standard investigative procedure to look at what type of firearm is involved, who the firearm belongs to, whether it is registered and how the individual came into possession of the firearm,” Logan said. “Additional offenses could be added. Some of the pertinent laws could include place to keep a pistol or revolver, ownership of a prohibited firearm, or storage of a firearm.”

“We are taking this opportunity to remind all gun owners and anyone who has a firearm in their home, to take the necessary steps to make sure all guns are stored safely and are not accessible to those who should not have access to them,” Logan said.

In a letter to parents sent Thursday, Kapolei Middle School Principal Bryan Rankie wrote that the campus was locked down from 8:30 until 9:50 a.m. and the item confiscated “out of an abundance of caution.”

Hawaii Administrative Rules state that a student found in possession of a firearm on campus will be banned from school for one calendar year. Hawaii Administrative Rules define “firearm” to expand beyond the federal and state laws to include air guns, such as BB guns or pistols; pellet guns; and paintball guns.

“We ask for your help to speak to your child(ren) about the serious repercussions that can result from such actions and to remind them about contraband items that may be harmful and pose a health and safety risk to themselves and to others,” wrote Rankie. “Please do your part by securing dangerous items at home to prevent easy access.”

The state Department of Education tracked and reported to the Legislature, U.S. Department of Education and Board of Education the number of students expelled for bringing guns to school in the “Annual Report on the Mandatory Expulsion Policy for the Possession of a Firearm.”

The report was produced from 2014 until the end of the 2021 school year, when legislation was passed that removed that reporting requirement, according to the DOE.

In the last report, firearm incidents declined since the 2018-19 school year. The Kauai and Windward districts reported zero firearm incidents for the past three years while the Leeward district reported the most firearm incidents.

By school types, middle and high schools reported 73% of the total firearm incidents.

In the 2020-21 school year, there were 12 incidents involving 13 students. Thirteen firearms were confiscated: 12 air guns and one handgun.