KALAMAZOO (WKZO) — Kalamazoo School officials say a discharge of pepper spray that cleared 8-classrooms on the second floor of Kalamazoo Central Tuesday afternoon was accidental, but that doesn’t mean the student responsible is off the hook.
KPS Spokesman Alex lee says a female student’s Identification lanyard got caught on her pepper spray self-protection device. When she yanked it out of her pocket, the pepper spray flew out too and began discharging.
Lee says Township Police and emergency responders were called. 6 students required treatment.
Two with chronic respiratory issues were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
The student will be disciplined for bringing the Pepper spray to school after a due process hearing.
Her current status was not released.
The fire department brought fans and the school was ventilated and classes resumed.
A full report on the investigation following the accidental firing of a gun at Loy Norrix High School has been released by Public Safety.
The 78-page report documents the considerable efforts, dead ends, frustrations and red herrings that investigators had to deal with before identifying the teens involved and tracking down the gun. It also shows that officers and school officials debated when to begin the lockdown.
For the first time it was revealed why the gun was there, because one student wanted it for self-protection at an after school event and asked another student to hang on to it.
During that exchange in a bathroom, it discharged and the day long investigation began, using video surveillance, interviews and searches to eventually track it down.
They were able to identify five teens who handled the gun. Those students will now face likely expulsion and criminal charges.
