Police stop armed parent suffering mental health crisis at Mesquite school

MESQUITE, Texas - Police officers at Berry Middle School in Mesquite stopped an armed parent who reportedly experienced a mental health crisis on the campus.

Mesquite middle school incident

What we know:

The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the school on Bear Drive near E. Cartwright Road.

Mesquite police said the individual didn’t make it past the second set of locked doors at the front entrance before being stopped by a school resource officer.

The SRO, along with additional Mesquite police officers, safely took the parent into custody and removed a handgun that was in their possession.

The parent was arrested and charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon in a prohibited place.

Berry Middle School was placed on lockdown and SECURE mode during the law enforcement response.

What we don't know:

The parent’s name was not released because of the nature of the incident.

Police did not say if they thought the suspect was attempting to get through the doors of the school at the time of the incident.

What they're saying:

Crystal Kilpatrick was at Berry Middle School to pick one of her three kids up when she saw the suspect with the handgun.

"When I did see him, he had like a smirk on his face, as if he's like, you know, cool with him being handcuffed," Kilpatrick tells FOX 4's Davis Sentendrey.

Kilpatrick says Mesquite PD handled the situation well.

"I’m not gonna lie, when I pulled up and I seen all of those police cars I was instantly like are my kids O.K., like, what’s going on? And when he calmly told me, like, 'Ma’am, listen — no one can come in, no one can come out. We’re on active lockdown. We’re not letting anybody in.' That’s when I knew for a fact that my kids were in good hands."

Mesquite PD, Mesquite ISD statements

"The Mesquite Police Department understands the concern an incident like this may cause for parents, students, and staff. The safety and well-being of our students and school community remains our highest priority. We are grateful for the quick response and actions of all Mesquite Police Department and Mesquite ISD employees who helped ensure the safety of those on campus," the department said in a statement.

"We are grateful for the immediate response of our Berry Middle School staff and Mesquite Police Department officers. The school’s safety procedures and coordinated law enforcement response worked as intended, allowing the situation to be resolved safely," Mesquite ISD said in a statement.

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