2 students arrested for firearms possession at Davenport West High School

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – Two students were arrested after police say they had firearms on the grounds of Davenport West School.

On Wednesday at approximately 9:14 a.m., Davenport Police arrived at Davenport West High School to serve a search warrant on two students related to an ongoing investigation, according to a DPD news release. Two students were called out of the classroom and met with law enforcement.

During encounters with the students, police said they found a firearm inside each student’s backpack.

Mark Sloan, a parent of a Davenport West student, says he wants to see some changes

“I think the school needs to be more strict about setting things up, and if students are caught with the gun, they are expelled,” Sloan said.

The two students were arrested and charged with the following, according to the press release:

• 17-year-old student carrying weapons on school grounds
• 15 year old student: carrying weapons on school grounds, possession/control of firearm/offensive weapon by offender, interference with official acts: firearm

Julius Gholston, another Davenport West parent, says his high school experience was different.

“When I was in high school, we had metal detectors and scanners like they have at the airport. I think that’s what they need. Metal detectors and scanners on backpacks that go through a conveyor belt. They can see with X-rays exactly what’s inside the backpack, and that will ensure that none of that happens again,” Gholston said. “From now on, we’ll be emailing the principal to try to figure out what they’re going to do — not to bother them, but to bother them, you know, we want answers.”

The Davenport Police Department worked closely with Davenport Community School District leadership and West High School administration to ensure the safety of students and staff, police said.

Davenport Police spoke to TV6 during a press conference on Wednesday. We asked DPD Captain Greg Behning directly how security was maintained when there were weapons at the school.

“I’ll leave that question up to the school staff and experts,” Behning said. The school day continued without interruption and the investigation remains ongoing, police said. No further information is available at this time.

TV6 reached out to Davenport Schools for comment and received the following:

“The safety of our students and staff, and the security of our buildings, remains a priority for the Davenport Community School District. DCSD leadership and West administration coordinated closely with the Davenport Police Department to ensure that the execution of this search warrant was done privately, away from students. It did not result in any further incidents or disruptions to the school day.”

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