Southridge High Briefly Locked Down Due to “Gun” Threat Tuesday

Turns out it was a very realistic looking BB gun - but other students, and officials had no way of knowing that. (Photo courtesy of KNDU-TV)

A Southridge High School (Kennewick) senior is in hot water after allegedly bragging to other students he had a "gun" and showing it to them.

According to Sgt. Ken Lattin of the Kennewick Police Department,  Just before 9am Tuesday morning, two students approached the school's resource officer and said another student had bragged to them he had a gun in his car, and reportedly showed it to them the day before.

The incident occurred after school in the  parking lot, and the students said the gun looked real enough it "scared" them.    Police decided to  secure the school with a brief lockdown until the student could be located and secured.

18-year-old Adan Landin Barajas was located in class, and the weapon taken from his car.   It turned out to be a very realistic .357 BB gun that was nearly an exact replica of a real weapon.  The lockdown was ended and the school resumed it's normal schedule. The reporting students believed it was a real weapon.

Landin Barajas was booked into the Benton County jail on possession of a weapon on school property.   Sgt. Lattin said:

"The students who reported the weapon to the Officer at their school did the right thing. Although at this point in the investigation it does not appear that anyone was in imminent threat of harm, it is always best to report anything that may be a weapon to authorities so that we can continue to maintain a safe campus."