Police: Windsor High student brought multiple airsoft guns to campus

A 17-year-old Windsor High School student was arrested and cited Wednesday after school and law enforcement officials found he was carrying an airsoft handgun on campus and had multiple airsoft guns in his vehicle, two of which were styled as AR-15 rifles, police said Thursday.

No one was injured and the school day was not disrupted, according to officials.

But the incident, which came just a day after an 18-year-old shot and killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, shocked Windsor families and sparked discussions about safety at a time when schools around the U.S. are on high alert.

The student, whose name was withheld by police because of his age, was arrested and cited on suspicion of possessing a weapon and marijuana on school grounds.

School officials described the incident as a lapse in judgment.

“This was simply a poor decision,” said Jeremy Decker, superintendent of the Windsor Unified School District. “I think this student will learn their lesson.”

At 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, two students reported to the campus student adviser that the 17-year-old student was acting strange near his vehicle at lunch, the Windsor Police Department said in a Facebook post.

The students reported they saw him place a shiny object in his pants, according to the post.

The campus student adviser approached the student, who had a plastic airsoft gun and a small cap gun in his backpack.

He told the adviser he had more plastic airsoft guns in his vehicle.

Upon searching the teen’s car, a Windsor school resource officer found three additional airsoft guns, two of which were AR-15-styled airsoft rifles but with missing parts. The school officer also found two pocketknives, the department said.

The 17-year-old was cooperative with the student adviser and with the school officer, Decker said.

The student told police he meant no ill-will and was participating in a game called “Senior Assassins,” a non-sanctioned school activity in which seniors shoot each other with squirt guns, Nerf guns or Orbeez guns, Windsor police said.

Officers, however, did not identify any other game participants during their investigation.

The school officer also contacted the student’s parents, went to his home and searched his room. No other weapons were found, police said.

Police urged parents to remind their children that mock weapons are not permitted on school campuses.

Decker said that message is communicated frequently to students.

“Our students already know you’re not supposed to bring anything that looks like a gun or a weapon to campus,” he said.

He also applauded the two students who brought their concerns to school staff.

“They definitely did the right thing, and it shows that there is trust between our students, student advisers and site administrators,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8511 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.

You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.