Gun, Drugs Found At Tulsa Memorial High School

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Two teenagers are in police custody tonight, both are accused of having drugs. And police believe one of them may have been responsible for bringing a gun to Memorial High School.

Police say a 16-year-old student was already in hot water because of drugs. Then his cell phone started ringing and got him in even more trouble."

Lockdown. It's a word parents never want to hear and one that causes them to drop everything.

"He called me to come pick him up because the school was locked down," said Catrina Alexander, parent of a Memorial High School student.

Tulsa Public Schools' police department says this all started with a disturbance Friday morning.   Officers searched one of the students in that altercation and found marijuana and Xanax.

They were questioning the student, when they discovered more school rules might have been broken.

"A confiscated cell phone went off with a text message that said there was a gun," said Gary Rudick, Tulsa Public School Police Chief.

Memorial High School was locked down while the campus was searched.

"Our first piece of information that we want parents to understand is that we want the children safe," said Millard House, TPS Assistant Superintendent, "and the lockdown right now is the best method we have of keeping them safe."

Tulsa Public Schools police arrested a second student, also for drugs. And then about half an hour after they discovered the text message they found a handgun in a student locker.

"Kinda devastating," parent Catrina Alexander said of the incident. "It's sad to see our kids carrying guns and things. ‘Cause when I was in school it wasn't like that. It's sad."

Tulsa Public Schools Police Department suspects the first student arrested was the one who brought the gun on campus. They say they are not aware of any threats made against anyone or the school.