Redmond boy accused of shooting Airsoft gun at campus

A 13-year-old Obsidian Middle School student was taken into custody on several charges early Friday afternoon, accused of shooting an Airsoft gun onto the campus from across the street, with one pellet striking a female staff member in the leg, police said.

The woman was uninjured, and the boy was apprehended without incident by another staff member after the incident, reported around 12:30 p.m., said police Lt. Mike Kidwell.

School resource officers responded to the incident, in which Kidwell said the unidentified teen hid behind shrubbery across the street and fired the Airsoft gun onto the campus.

Airsoft guns are replica firearms used in airsoft that fire plastic pellets by way of compressed gas or electric and/or spring-driven pistons. They are designed to be non-lethal and to provide realistic replicas of real firearms.

Police said they seized a clear Airsoft gun with an orange tip on the barrel from the Obsidian student, as well as an orange cap pistol. Other plastic pellets were recovered on the ground near where the woman was struck.

As a safety precaution, the school was placed in lockdown for a brief period, as initial reports were that someone was shooting at the school. It’s a standard procedure school and first reports have used to assure safety, the lieutenant added.

The boy was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, disorderly conduct and harassment, Kidwell said. Following Safe School Alliance protocol, he was lodged at the Deschutes County Juvenile Detention Facility pending evaluation.

“I would like to assure the community and parents that the Redmond School District and Redmond Police working together as partners are committed to the safety of our students, schools, and community. We are always going to err on the side of safety when it’s believed there is a threat of harm,” Kidwell wrote.

“The Redmond Police Department and the Redmond School District would also like to assure the community that this incident was resolved quickly, no one was hurt, and that the Redmond Schools continue to be safe. We would like to thank the staff and students of Obsidian Middle School for their fast and proper response to this incident.

“As always the Redmond Police Department would encourage anyone seeing suspicious activity near our schools to promptly report that activity to the police or school officials,” the lieutenant concluded.