OAKDALE, Minn. -- Two Tartan High School students in Oakdale were charged with a felony Monday for reportedly taking turns carrying a loaded handgun in their backpacks at the Oakdale school.
Nathan Neng Xiong, 16, of Maplewood is accused of bringing the gun to school in his backpack and then passing it to Abinadab Tesfahunen, 16, of Oakdale. Both boys are charged with possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, a felony.
The gun was discovered after fellow students told a teacher they had seen it in Tesfahunen’s backpack, according to the criminal complaint filed in Washington County juvenile court.
Assistant principal Eric Fort and school resource officer Tom Higgins brought Tesfahunen to Fort’s office, where the administrator searched Tesfahunen’s backpack and found the gun, a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson with 13 bullets in the magazine.
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Tesfahunen told police he asked Xiong to bring the gun to school because he was curious about it and “wanted to hold it,” according to the complaint.
