Lincoln Police investigating after a disassembled gun was found in student’s bag at Southeast High School

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Lincoln Police Department is investigating after a disassembled gun was found in a student’s bag at Lincoln Southeast High School on Tuesday.

According to Lincoln Public Schools, a parent found a disassembled weapon in their Southeast student’s backpack that was located in the parent’s car.

The gun was immediately turned over to a nearby School Resource Officer.

LPS said the backpack had stayed in the parent’s vehicle in the visitor’s parking lot the entire time and was never brought inside the school.

“We appreciate the parent for reporting the concern immediately to law enforcement and their continued cooperation during the investigation,” Principal Tanner Penrod said in a letter to Southeast families.

LPS and the School Resource Officer have been working with LPD as they investigate this incident.

The school said the student will face school and legal consequences for having the gun in the school parking lot.

“We know any time there is a mention of potential weapons at school it can cause concern,” Penrod said. “Please know we take all reports seriously and investigate them fully with the help of LPS Security and law enforcement.”

Tyler Huss, a parent of two Southeast High School students, recalls his initial reaction while reading the message at work, “As soon you see that, that’s when I was like, hold on, I got to step off to the side, let me see what’s going on.”

He immediately contacted his children and was surprised to hear that neither of them had heard much about the incident while at school.

Huss said their lack of details spoke to how well the school handled the incident, allowing them to stay focused on school.

“I gave them more info from the email, then they knew, but then even my daughter’s reaction was like, ‘so wait, the parent turned in their kid?'” he said.

Like his daughter, Huss says he also had many questions.

“I was confused about whether the parent just went straight to the officer, did they talk to their child, like I mean, communication is key.”

He says that in light of the rise in shootings over the last few months, he is constantly checking in with his kids.

“The world is a crazy place, so you just got to let them know what’s going on,” Huss said. “They talk to you if you talk to them but just have that communication. I know the school does what they can.”

When asked if his kids have ever felt unsafe at school, his response was ‘never’.

LPS students and parents with safety concerns should tell a trusted staff member, use the green Safe to Say button on the LPS website, Safe2Help Nebraska at 833-980-7233, or call Lincoln Police at (402) 441-6000.