MANCHESTER, Mo. — A father is facing charges after a Parkway School District student brought a loaded gun to his Manchester elementary school Friday morning.
St. Louis County prosecutors charged Tony Fisher, 46, on Friday with one felony count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, creating substantial risk.
According to charging documents, the principal of Hanna Woods Elementary School called the police Friday morning and told them a student brought a loaded gun into the building.
The student was on the school bus Friday morning when he noticed the gun in his backpack, according to a probable cause statement from the Manchester Police Department. When he arrived at school, he told a teacher, who took possession of the gun and informed the principal.
No one was harmed or threatened during the incident.
The student told administrators the gun belonged to his father, Fisher, and he "did not intentionally bring it to school," according to the probable cause statement.
The gun was a .40 caliber Glock 23 with one round loaded in its chamber and 12 rounds in its magazine, police said.
Fisher came to the school, admitted the gun was his and showed proof of receipt, police said. He admitted that he had the gun the night before and placed it in the backpack and left it there by mistake, failing to use proper gun safety precautions.
Fisher was booked into St. Louis County jail Friday morning on a $10,000 bond. He was also ordered to return his concealed carry permit to police.
Hanna Woods Elementary School Principal Melissa Schewe sent out the following statement to parents:
"Dear Hanna Woods Community:
"I wanted to inform you about an incident at school today. My intent is not to cause alarm but to share important information regarding the safety of our school.
"Immediately after a student got to school this morning, they reported to a teacher (about) finding a weapon in their backpack. We immediately followed our standard safety procedures, confiscated the weapon and notified the Manchester Police Department.
"The investigation quickly determined there was no threat to school safety or any intent by the student to cause harm.
"While we cannot discuss details of the investigation, what I can tell you is anytime a weapon is brought to school, even without intent to cause harm, it is considered a violation of Parkway’s discipline policy. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as they continue their investigation.
"The safety of our students is our highest priority. I appreciate your support and hope you will contact me with any questions or concerns."
