An 18-year-old Evanston Township High School student faces two felony gun charges after police say was found with a gun at the school on Wednesday.
Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew says ETHS safety staff received a tip that the student, Rashaun Watkins, had a gun.
He was taken to a dean’s office where Glew says a police school resource officer found a handgun, a Taurus G3 9mm loaded with 12 rounds, in Watkins’ pants.
Watkins was arrested and transported to the police station. Glew says Watkins, of the 4800 block of Lee Street in Skokie, did not provide a statement but that police concluded he had no plans for a school shooting or an act of violence against students or staff.
The State’s Attorneys Office approved two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for lack of a firearm owners ID card and for possession of a gun by a person under 21 years of age.
Watkins is scheduled to appear in bond court on Friday, at 26th and California in Chicago.
ETHS students can report information about criminal activity, potential violence or unsafe situations by utilizing Acknowledge, Care, Tell steps. Community members can utilize EPD’s Text-A-Tip. To begin your tip message, enter the number “274637” (CRIMES) and then start your message with EPDTIP.
Why is this student at ETHS? His home address is in Skokie in the Niles North or Niles West school district – not Evanston. This news is very frightening for students and families and the community alike.
ETHS needs metal detectors asap!
This student should be expelled. It is always said that these students have guns not because they are planning a school shooting, but for “protection in the community.” Which begs the issue: Clearly they are involved in the wrong activities or with the wrong crowd for them to feel targeted in the area around ETHS. Over 3000 other students are also in the same areas once they leave the 4 walls of the school and they don’t feel the need to keep a loaded gun on them for “protection”
“…..the police concluded he had no plans for school shooting.” How did they “conclude” this? Because he said so?
Having no plan to use the gun at school is beside the point. A tragic accident is a possibility as well wherever there is a loaded gun.
They pushed back on police presence and metal detectors because it could be “triggering” for some students. What is “triggering” to me is LOADED GUNS IN SCHOOL! If we are going to have a very socioeconomic diverse attendance at our schools we have to expect incidents like this to happen and should have metal detectors put in. I don’t love having to do it but, seriously, are we going to pretend like this won’t happen again?
This is not the first incident that happened with a gun being found in the school. What is it going to take before the administration finally puts in adequate safety measures? An innocent student being shot? Why are there no metal detectors? Isn’t the safety of the students more important than the perception of a “trigger”? Ridiculous.