AR-15 rifle and shotgun found in home of star student Alwin Chen who brought loaded handgun to school
The discovery came a day after a shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 in an attack authorities say was carried out by a former student
Police in the US state of Maryland found an AR-15 styled rifle, a shotgun, two handguns, ammunition and a tactical vest in the home of an 18-year-old honour roll student who police say last week brought a loaded 9mm handgun to school, authorities said Tuesday.
Officers also discovered that the suspect – Alwin Chen, a student at Clarksburg High School in Montgomery County – had previously brought the same handgun to school and had compiled a “list of grievances against students in the school,” Montgomery Assistant State’s lawyer Frank Lazzaro said.
He termed the list “possibly a motive for why he was going to use the gun”.
The precise motive and overall thinking of Chen remained unclear Tuesday. Detectives and prosecutors continue to probe the case.
Chen is charged with possession of a handgun, possession of a firearm by a person under 21 and possession of a firearm on school property.
Given the weapons at his Germantown, Maryland, home, the accusation that he has brought a gun to school at least twice, and the alleged grievance list, Montgomery District Judge John Moffett said Chen “presents a serious danger to the community”.