Posted on 09/13/2006 10:07:45 AM PDT by kiriath_jearim
DELHI -- The discovery of a backpack stuffed with three loaded guns and an assault rifle prompted a lockdown at Delhi High School and Delhi Middle School on Monday. A man searching for aluminum cans found the backpack at 9 a.m. near a trash can on the western edge of the Delhi Educational Park, the campus that houses the middle school and high school.
Inside the backpack was a loaded .357 magnum, a 40-caliber automatic pistol, a 380 semi-automatic pistol and an SKS assault rifle with a 30-round banana clip stocked with ammunition, said Sheriff Mark Pazin.
"There's nothing more to an SKS assault rifle other than to cause destruction and mayhem," said Pazin. "Those weapons are used in wars to destroy people and I'm just glad it was found and taken out of circulation."
An elementary school-level reading book, "Dinosaurs Before Dark" by Mary Pope Osborne, was also found in the backpack, said Pazin.
Merced County Sheriff's Deputies and California Highway Patrol officers arrived on campus shortly after the guns were discovered. They sealed off parking lot entrances with police tape, blocked traffic from driving past the campus, and launched a "systematic and methodical search" of the campus' 16 buildings, said Pazin.
The search ended at 2:45 p.m. with no answers on the origin of the firearms. Students were released on time at 3:05 p.m.
A gang symbol on the backpack could mean the guns are gang-related, said Pazin, a lead that Delhi's school resource officer will investigate.
While deputies scoured school grounds, the 1,060 students inside the schools followed standard lockdown procedure, said high school Principal Mike Horwood. Students lay on the floor with their hands on their heads while teachers locked classroom doors and turned off lights.
After bomb-sniffing dogs inspected the multipurpose room, teachers moved their classes there one by one. Students were instructed to leave bags and backpacks on classroom floors so deputies could search them.
Deputies also patted down students before allowing them to enter the multipurpose room.
School officials notified parents of the lockdown with a recorded phone message that said no one was allowed to leave or enter the campus.
Some parents got word of the situation directly from students who called from inside classrooms on cell phones.
Nuvia Mendoza found out when her 15-year-old sister, sophomore Vanessa Andrade, called her from the floor of her classroom.
"I'm just very concerned for my sister," said Mendoza. "I want to get her out but they won't let me."
Mendoza stood on a lawn across the street from the campus with other anxious family members, waiting for new information around noon.
Andrade, who talked to a reporter from inside the school, said she and her classmates felt calm.
"It's OK," she said. "We're just relaxing. They didn't tell us it was serious until a little bit ago."
Some parents drove to the campus for information, but school staff stationed at entrances directed them to the Liberty Market shopping center down the road where school administrators tried to answer questions.
Two district officials, one Spanish-speaking and one English-speaking, gave parents updates throughout the day.
Some frustrated family members said officials weren't providing enough information.
"We have our kids in there and they won't let us know exactly what's going on," said Belinda Zapien, whose younger sister sent her a text message about the lockdown from inside the school. "We want to hear the truth."
The timing of the lockdown, on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, put both law enforcement officials and parents on edge.
"I just hope it's not some sick and demented individual that's trying to complicate the 9/11 anniversary by doing something here on school grounds," said Sheriff Pazin.
Pazin said the incident was troubling because it had "overtones of Columbine," the 1999 school shooting in Colorado that claimed 12 lives.
Officials were also chilled by graffiti found on campus depicting a drawing of a head with a bullet hole in the forehead, said Pazin.
Delhi was last put on lockdown in 2001 when a morning argument in the parking lot ended in gunfire, said Delhi Unified School District Superintendent Bill Baltazar. Delhi schools practice lockdown drills at least twice a year, said Baltazar.
Principal Horwood said students handled the lockdown well.
"You can understand that they're probably a bit upset but they came through very well," said Horwood. "They cooperated excellently."
"'There's nothing more to an SKS assault rifle other than to cause destruction and mayhem," said Pazin. "Those weapons are used in wars to destroy people and I'm just glad it was found and taken out of circulation.'"
*****
The sheriff wants his political "five minutes" of fame. Firearms are designed for destruction, including police sidearms.
"automatic" versus "Semi-automatic"... check.
"banana clip"... check.
"SKS assault rifle"... check.
"weapon of war"... check.
Looks like they hit them all. Might want to add "More thrusts per squeeze" and "spray and pray" next time.
Why ? What does putting your hands on your head do to keep you safe from a bullet ? Was this before or after they were physically searched by police ?
Wow, students have to lay on the floor with hands behind their heads, as teachers lock the room and turn off the lights. Sounds more like a prison SOP than a school. How bad is this school. Teachers fear their students, make them all sprawl out on the floor, lock the room and leave them in it until the cops come by to search them. I would not want my kids in that school!!!
My kid has been strictly instructed that if bullets start flying in his school and they attempt a lockdown, he is to get out of the building however he can REGARDLESS of what the teachers say and don't stop running until he gets home (about a half mile or so away). Never to sit obediently in a classroom waiting for the grim reaper to come for you.
RESFTFOB * Rolling eyes so far they flip over backward *
It's the dinosaur's fault.
Yep, be good little sheeple and lie quietly on the floor with your hands behind your head. Your masters will tell you when and if you can get up.
Jeez!
Good idea, I never thought of that and may do the same.
Only a Liberal Backpack can be "stuffed" by four guns...
There is nothing to statements like that but to trample the civil rights of and enslave American citizens. We won't be safe until Fascists like Pazin are imprisoned.
One good hyperbole deserves another.
Geez, what an asshole. Many clubs use SKSes for Gun Day to introduce people to shooting. They're cheap and reliable.
Can you stuff an "Assault Rifle" into a backpack?
Man searching for aluminum cans???? We have someone dumpster diving and he finds a backpack full of guns and he goes squealing to the nutcase school authorities? Sorta seems like a conflict of terms.
I can assure ya that if this dumpster diver had found a pack of guns, he'd have slung it over his shoulder and waltzed right outta there and mum's the word. This bums personal arsenal would have grown by 4!!!!
I was wondering about that too.
Oh no! Hey, knives are also used in wars, so we need to ban those. While we're at it, we need to get rid of KCl, potassium choloride, since it's used to kill death row inmates!
Mark
An SKS in a "back"pack??
This could have been so much worse! Thank goodness that the 40-caliber automatic pistol is smaller than the 380 semi-automatic pistol. Can you imagine how much more deadly a 380 automatic pistol would be?!?!?! It's just a shame that the 40-caliber wasn't a semi-automatic pistol, since those are less deadly than a 40-caliber automatic pistol.
Mark
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