Authorities Say Boy, 12, Took Firearm To Ball Game
BLUFF CITY, Tenn. – A Sullivan County sixth-grader is accused of taking a gun to a middle school football game Tuesday evening and threatening to shoot another student in a fit of unrequited love.
The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said the 12-year-old showed other middle-school students a small, rusty revolver with a blue frame, and said he was going to kill another boy, whom the girl he liked had a crush on.
The football game was at Bluff City Middle School. The following morning, several students reported the incident to the school counselor, who called Jeff Boling, one of four school resource officers with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect is a student at Mary Hughes Middle School in Piney Flats.
Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Lisa Christian said the gun and its owner have not been found.
A petition was filed in Bristol Juvenile Court, and the boy will have a hearing at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 26.
No one from the middle school or the Sullivan County Department of Education could be reached by phone Friday for comment.
Rachel Woods, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Education, said weapons of any kind are part of the statewide Zero Tolerance policy, which requires schools to expel offending students for at least one year and report all violations to the state education department.
Zero Tolerance includes guns, other weapons, drugs, alcohol and battery of a teacher or staff member.
Between 2004 and 2008, between 4,000 and 5,000 offenses were committed each year in the state of Tennessee, and at least half of those were drug-related. In the 2007-08 school year, there were 59 incidents that involved a firearm, and 134 the previous school year.
But between 2004 and 2008, no guns were reported in Sullivan County schools, according to reports by the state Department of Education.
Christian said the two boys in the local incident went to different schools, and she did not think they knew each other.
She added that the incident highlights the necessity of school resource officers, who focus primarily on high schools to educate, mentor and build good relationships with students.
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Reader Reactions
There are definitely conflicts from what is written in the article and in the comments. But aside from this specific case, just look at the example on gun mania being set by our state legislation on multiple gun laws and many parents and relatives at home, Kids watch and copy adults.
sounds to me like these kids are WAY TOO YOUNG to be acting like this. what in the world will they do when they’re older if they got thoughts like this going through their minds now ??? i don’t know the whole story, i wasn’t there but the very thought of these kids having guns and wanting to hurt one another over a silly little crush is a shame.
I am the twelve year old boys girlfriend and I was with him the whole entire time and he did not have a gun.I am 100% sure of that because when i hugged him i would have felt it or he would of had an imprint of the gun in his pocket and he did not.I think it’s pretty messed up that you guys are taking stories from children that were not with him when my parents and I were with him the whole time.He acted no differently than ever!I think that there should be evidence found before he is proven guilty and should have a meeting with my parents and myself.I will be glad to tell you my story of this situation.Because I never ever saw the gun!So I think people should get there stories straight before they start ruining a family’s life and my life!They should not put a twelve year old boy through this much pain when he has not been proven guilty!
Thanks Kasey!
I am a ex-convict and current law breaker. It is out of control the lies you fortell in todays news. Claire Galforia i recone this isent directed straight to you, but its someone’s lies tell them how ya want to.
I can’t believe his crush isn’t a mutual thing. How can a girl pass up this kind of a catch?
I am the parent that the 12 year old child that you are speaking of that went to the football game at Bluff City on Tuesday the 15th.My daughter was with him the whole time and she never witnessed him having a gun threatening with a gun and I think you are treating him unfairly!They are assumeing he had a gun with there is no evidence of the gun!If there was witnesses at the game why wasn’t it took the police officer at the game?Why was it handled the next day at school with counselors?I think they should investigate more before the child is being excused of actually having a gun the NO ONE never saw!! There’s no evidence of the child even having a gun!The police officers are taking statements from students from “BLUFF CITY” when the child was in adult supervision and the two adults have still not been questioned!
Thanks!
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