Increased police presence at Bowie High School after student brought gun to school

WASHINGTON - Students and staff at Bowie High School will see an increase in police presence starting Wednesday after a student allegedly brought a gun onto school grounds. 

According to authorities, a student with a loaded glock handgun entered the school through a backdoor that was propped open on Tuesday around 12:30 p.m. The student was taken into custody and transported to the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center. Police say he invoked his right to remain silent. 

Officials say the student had a loaded black and tan 9MM ghost gun, with a 30-round extended magazine. Ghost guns can be bought online without a background check and assembled at home. 

Bowie High School was among the first wave of schools in Prince George's County to get metal detectors installed this year. But the student was able to bypass the detectors by entering through the backdoor. 

Officials are still investigating how that back door became propped open. 

In a letter to parents, principal Joe Kautzer said safety is their top priority. 

"Please encourage your child to always immediately report the sighting of any weapon or suspicious individuals/ objects on school grounds to a staff member or trusted adult," said Kautzer. 

Bowie Police said Wednesday that they are not aware of any particular threat, and additional police are just a precaution.