Kentwood High School in Covington was placed on lockdown Friday morning after a parent saw two students exchange a gun on campus.
Covington Police arrested two students were found with a handgun in a nearby neighborhood.
An alert parent saw two students on the Kentwood campus, 25800 164th Ave. SE, passing what looked like a handgun back and forth, according to an email from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Ryan Abbott. The parent called 911 to report what they saw and the Covington Police responded to the area. The school was placed on lockdown.
Officers found two students, 15 and 16 years of age, in a neighborhood near Kentwood matching the description given by the caller. A handgun was located on one of the students. They were booked into the youth service center on a felony gun charge, Abbott said.
Covington contracts with the Sheriff’s Office for police services.
Kentwood Principal Samantha Ketover sent out a letter Friday to the Kentwood community about the lockdown.
Ketover said police notified the school at about 9:40 a.m. to lock down Kentwood due to a report of a weapon on campus. Ketover said the lockdown lasted about 20 minutes and ended after police notified school officials about the teens taken into custody off the campus.
“Students and staff remained safe throughout this incident,” Ketover said. “Please know the students and staff did a great job during the lockdown as they followed our safety protocols. The safety of our students is paramount at all times, just as it is with you.”
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