IRVINE : Student Who Fired Gun in Class Expelled

A 15-year-old boy who accidentally discharged a gun during a Woodbridge High School biology class last month has been expelled from the Irvine Unified School District by the Board of Education.

The boy had brought the gun, property of an uncle, to school to show it to a 16-year-old friend, police and school officials said.

The board is expected to vote soon on whether to expel the friend, who handled the weapon before it went off.

The school board based its decision in part on the recommendation of an administrative panel that reviewed the Oct. 22 incident.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy that says if you bring a gun to school, you will be expelled,” said school board President Margie Wakeham.

The gun discharged during a biology class while students were watching a film.

The 15-year-old cocked the 9-millimeter, semiautomatic handgun, sending a round into the chamber.

Unable to release the hammer, the boy pulled the ammunition clip from the gun, apparently thinking that would remove all bullets.

He then pulled the trigger, sending the chambered bullet into the floor.

No one was injured in the incident.

The expulsion prohibits the boy from attending any district schools.

He could attempt to gain admittance to another district or join a county program for expelled teen-agers, Wakeham said.

“Everyone voted for (expulsion) with much regret. It was an unfortunate situation. The boy was very cooperative,” she said. “Sometimes you do it and you say ‘good riddance.’ That wasn’t the case this time.”