Bullets brought to Riverhead High School, student arrested, police say
Students were held in place at Riverhead High School on Harrison Avenue on Friday after a student turned in a bullet. Credit: James Carbone
Two students came forward with matching bullets at Riverhead High School on Friday, leading police to take one student into custody, school officials and police said.
School officials called police just before 1 p.m., and "the school was put in a hold-in-place response until the student who brought the bullets to school was apprehended," Riverhead Superintendent Augustine Tornatore said in a letter to parents.
Riverhead Town police said a 14-year-old student turned in a .22 caliber bullet to a school security guard. The teen said he was given the bullet by another 14-year-old student.
The other 14-year-old student told police he found the bullet and others on a shelf at his brother's business. Police recovered about a dozen more bullets from the teen.
The ammunition was from a legally owned .22 caliber rifle by a family member and police said it was secured outside of the teen's home, police said.
The teen who brought the bullets to school was arrested and released with an appearance ticket for Suffolk County Family Court. Police said there was no evidence of a rifle or any other weapons on school grounds.
The school changed the hold-in-place to a lockout that later was lifted, officials said.
“At no point were any students, faculty or staff in harm’s way,” Tornatore said.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
