Armed Teen Detained Outside C’dA High School

COEUR D’ALENE — Police in Coeur d’Alene feel that they averted a potentially tragic situation by detaining an armed teenager in the Lake City High School parking lot Wednesday morning.

The teenager, 18-year-old Bryan Gilmore, is suspected of stealing three guns from his uncle’s residence Tuesday evening, in addition to stealing paintball supplies from a sporting goods store. Police aren’t sure what his intentions were, but were strongly suspicious that he was on school grounds to hurt himself or others.

Gilmore was located and detained in front of Lake City High School at about 10:30 Wednesday after the Coeur d’Alene Police Department began searching for him earlier in the day, concerned that he had weapons in his possession.

When they detained Gilmore a shotgun was visible on the passenger seat and after a search warrant was obtained police found three high-powered rifles in the trunk of his car.

The incident started when his mother reported Gilmore missing Tuesday night. She had last spoken with him earlier in the day. Late Tuesday night police believe he stole the guns from his uncle’s home and police weren’t sure where he was headed with those guns so they quickly notified the school district.

With the help of school surveillance cameras Gilmore was spotted driving into the senior parking lot at Lake City High School around 10:30, prompting school officials to lock down both Lake City and Coeur d’Alene High Schools for a short period of time.

Police are saying that Gilmore is cooperating with them but don’t know yet why he drove to the high school with those weapons.

“At the very least I can honestly say and I feel in my heart we diverted some tragedy,” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Wayne Longo said. “Whether this was … taking his own life or perhaps taking other lives as well or police officers or staff, that I don’t know but I certainly feel some tragedy was diverted today.”

In addition to taking the guns from his uncle’s home police believe Gilmore shoplifted some paintball supplies from Sportsman’s Warehouse Tuesday.

Gilmore was booked into the Kootenai County Jail on charges of Possession of a Weapon on School Grounds and Burglary while an additional burglary charge is pending from Kootenai County.

Chief Longo credited the swift and peaceful resolution to the ongoing efforts between local schools and law enforcement from preventing incidents like today’s from happening.

“We are all thankful today for the many years of training we have done with other agencies and the School District in order to handle such an incident,” Chief Longo said in a statement. “As much as we all want to believe a school shooting would not happen in our town, we always prepare for the worst and are grateful when the incident is resolved peacefully.”