Greenwich Student Charged After School Lockdown

A Greenwich teen has been charged with breach of peace in connection with a purported weapons incident that prompted the lockdown of Greenwich High School Thursday morning.

At a Thursday afternoon press conference at Greenwich Police headquarters, First Selectman and Police Commissioner Peter Tesei explains what happened with the lockdown at Greenwich High School Thursday morning.

According to a statement released Thursday evening by Greenwich Police, "Interviews with the witnesses revealed that the suspect, a student of GHS, made a comment to two other students where he intimated that he possessed a firearm in his book bag. That he planned to use the firearm to shoot people in another state. These students became alarmed that the suspect had a gun in school. The alarmed students then consulted with two more GHS students who then initiated the call to the dispatch center." 

"Detectives continued the investigation off campus, searching his residence with the consent of his mother. The search resulted in no weapons found. 

The student was identified as Gianfranco Romero, 19, of 168 N. Water St., Greenwich, was issued a summons for the charge of breach of peace. He was scheduled to appear April 19 in Superior Court in Stamford.

The police statement also said:

"At approximately 10:43 hours April 11, 2013 the Greenwich Police Department (GPD)E911 dispatch center received a call from a Greenwich High School(GHS)student who was reporting that there was a male student armed with a gun walking into the building. 

"The GHS administration was notified of the report and they initiated their Lockdown protocols as the Greenwich Police, including the GPD School Resource Officer (SRO), responded. The suspect was quickly located and detained at gunpoint by the SRO and responding officers. The suspect was highly cooperative and it was determined that the suspect was NOT in possession of a weapon. No one was injured during the incident."

Earlier in the afternoon, Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei said that police received a 911 call at 10:34 a.m. Thursday from a Greenwich High School student who reported "they believed another student had a gun."

The Greenwich Police Department's Special Response Unit, which already was conducting training exercises on Thursday, responded to the Hillside Road school as well officers from the Patrol, Detective and Traffic sections, and department brass, according to Police Chief James Heavey.

Officials said they would not characterize the incident as a hoax because "the student truly believed" someone had a gun.

As of 12:30 p.m., one student was being detained and two others were being questioned, officials said.

No weapons were found and no one was injured.

Editor's note: This article originally was published, in somewhat different form, by Greenwich Patch.