GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — Garfield Heights Middle School students were dismissed for the remainder of the day after the school was placed on lockdown when a bullet was found on a school bus, and then a loaded handgun magazine was found in a trash can outside the school building Monday morning, according to an announcement from the district and an update from police.
At about 8 a.m., students at the middle school were temporarily moved to the Maple Leaf Elementary School gymnasium as part of a lockdown procedure that was implemented after the "contraband" was found, school officials stated.
Garfield Heights Middle School Security was notified by a bus driver that she found a bullet underneath one of bus seats after students left the bus, Garfield Heights Police said. The driver also saw the student who was sitting in the seat go to a trash can outside the school and appeared to put something in it. School security checked the trash can and found a handgun magazine loaded with four rounds inside, police said. That's when the school was placed on lockdown and the students involved were identified and detained.
Students were dismissed so that Garfield Heights Police could thoroughly complete their safety and security assessment of the building. Police swept the building to ensure safety and security Monday morning.
Middle school students who walk or ride the bus were transported home by bus, but parents were allowed to pick up their students beginning at 9 a.m., district officials said.
No firearm was ever seen or found during Garfield Heights Police's on-scene investigation, police said. The result of the investigation will be forwarded to the department's juvenile detective bureau for a review of charges.
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