A teacher in the Connecticut town that was site of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history was arrested Wednesday after police say he brought a gun onto school grounds.
Jason M. Adams, a teacher at Newtown Middle School, was carrying a concealed firearm for which he had a permit, Newtown police said. He was stopped inside the school by security personnel Wednesday before 9 a.m., the Newtown Public School District and police said.
Newtown police said Adams faces a charge of possession of a weapon on school grounds, a Class D felony, according to Connecticut law.
Adams, who was released after processing, did not reply to CNN’s requests for comment. Adams was placed on administrative leave, the school system said. He will appear in court on April 20.
“This matter is very serious and troubling,” Newtown schools said. “The Newtown Police Department is confident that security precautions put in place prior to the incident were instrumental in the quick and appropriate response to the event.”
The Hartford Courant reported that the security officer at the middle school is a retired police officer. Due to staff meetings, none of the Newtown schools were open to students when the arrest occurred, the paper reported.
Sandy Hook Elementary School, a school within the Newtown system, was the site of the second deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
A total of 26 people, including 20 schoolchildren, were killed at Sandy Hook on December 14, 2012. The shooter also killed his mother at their home.
Families of the victims have spoken against gun violence and have pushed for stricter gun laws in Connecticut and across the U.S. A group of families additionally filed a suit against the maker of the gun used in the shooting, Remington.
