8-year-old accidentally discharges gun in West Philly school courtyard

An 8-year-old brought a gun to his West Philadelphia elementary school Thursday morning and accidentally discharged it in the school courtyard, police said, prompting the school to briefly go on lockdown.

At 8:55 a.m., less than an hour into the start of the school day at West Philadelphia Achievement Charter Elementary School, the child discharged the gun in the outside yard, police said.

No one was injured.

The school went on lockdown for about 20 minutes, and police said the child was being held in custody.

In a statement, the school — a K-5 public school that focuses on arts and technology — said this was an isolated incident and that classes would remain in session through the rest of the day. The school is cooperating with police, it said.

The incident is under investigation, and police did not have additional information to immediately share, said spokesperson and officer Miguel Torres.

“He’s 8 years old. We gotta figure out where that gun came from,” Torres said.

The school said it alerted parents to the incident via one phone call, and that officials plan to address the incident with parents in the near future. Counselors are available for students and staff as needed.

“We can assure all is safe right now,” the school said a statement.