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Police on Thursday morning arrested a man whose third-grade son allegedly brought a gun to Twin Creeks Elementary School two days earlier — a firearm that police say had been stolen.
The 30-year-old San Ramon man, whose name is being withheld by DanvilleSanRamon.com, was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of three felonies: possessing stolen property, child endangerment and criminal storage of a firearm accessible to a child.
The investigation began on Wednesday when San Ramon Valley school district officials contacted police immediately after receiving a report about a student seeing a peer with a gun at school the day before, according to school and police officials.
It was Tuesday evening when the Twin Creeks student told his parents that he saw a gun in a fellow student’s backpack earlier in the day on campus, according to San Ramon police Lt. Cary Goldberg. The 8-year-old boy had the gun in his backpack and showed it to the classmate, according to a letter sent out by school officials.
The weapon was never fired, brandished or used to threaten another student, according to officials.
After the parents told school administrators and police were contacted, San Ramon police officers went to the San Ramon home of the third-grader in question and met with him and his parents, Goldberg said.
In the boy’s backpack, officers found a gun loaded with a magazine containing 9mm ammunition, Goldberg said, who added that subsequent investigation revealed the gun was stolen.
It was not immediately clear how the gun was originally stored in the home or why the boy brought the gun to school, the lieutenant said.
After finding the gun in the backpack, San Ramon police detectives worked to obtain a search warrant for the family’s home and an arrest warrant for the father, Goldberg said. No additional firearms were located while officers searched the home pursuant to the warrant.
Detectives arrested the 30-year-old father Thursday morning, and he was booked into county jail with bail set at $140,000, according to Goldberg. The son has been suspended from school. Anyone with further information on the case can contact police at 973-2779.
In the wake of the Twin Creeks incident, officials from the school district, the town of Danville and the city of San Ramon have all put out public statements reminding residents to speak with their children about firearm safety and reporting any suspicious activities immediately.
“Every year, nearly 300 children age 17 and under gain access to a gun and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else, and nearly 500 more die by suicide with a gun,” SRVUSD spokeswoman Elizabeth Graswich said. “Many of these deaths are preventable with responsible gun storage.”
Officials from all departments directed parents to use the “Be Smart” website as a resource for having a conversation with their children on gun safety.
They reiterated the site’s use of the acronym SMART as a tool:
Secure guns in homes and vehicles
Model responsible behavior
Ask about unsecured guns in other homes
Recognize the risks of teen suicide
Tell your peers to be SMART.
San Ramon police also reminded residents that failure to properly store a firearm that is accessible to a child is a criminal offense. Danville police added that staying connected and informed is key, suggesting that locals follow the DPD’s Facebook page, Twitter account, Nixle or Nextdoor.
Editor’s note: DanvilleSanRamon.com withheld the father’s name in recognition of our new policy on naming arrestees prior to prosecutors filing formal charges, as well as in an effort to help protect the identity of the young child at the center of the investigation. To read the full San Ramon Police Department statement on the arrest, visit the department’s website.
Kudos to the child who reported the gun. He/She may have saved lives.
Yes very good that the kid got involved and reported seeing the gun. His parents should be proud 🙂
Curious to know why this website is withholding the name of the father who has been arrested. They had no trouble naming the 83 year guy who hit a couple of bicyclists last week.
Because naming the father will reveal the name of the 3rd grade son?
If this gun had not been reported as being a stolen gun, would the father still have been arrested? In my opinion any adult who leaves a gun within reach of a school child SHOULD BE arrested. They are taking our children’s lives into their hands when they don’t practice rigid gun safety.