ROCORI Middle School Officer On Leave After Gun Incident

COLD SPRING  (AP) - A liaison police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave days after a student brought a loaded handgun to a middle school in central Minnesota.

Cold Spring Police Chief Phil Jones said Wednesday Officer Dave Sutherland was placed on leave following a complaint. Jones would not disclose the nature of the complaint or whether it was related to last week's gun incident.

But, Cold Spring Administrator Paul Hetland says the officer's leave is related to the incident April 11 in which a seventh-grader brought a loaded handgun and ammunition to ROCORI Middle School. Some parents were concerned the school was not locked down after the gun was discovered, especially given the school district's history. A student brought a gun to high
school in 2003 and killed two classmates. The school defended its decision not to lock down.

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