The incident occurred Wednesday at 5:40 p.m. after witnesses reported seeing a man with a bulge under his shirt at the swim meet.
A police investigation has been launched after a man brought a handgun to a swim meet at North Penn High School Wednesday evening, only to be later identified as an off-duty officer from the Philadelphia Police Department.
In an interview with North Penn Now, Towamencin Police Chief Tim Troxel confirmed they received a call at 5:40 p.m. on Sept. 18 regarding a man armed with a gun at the school. The call was prompted after a witness allegedly observed a bulge under the man’s shirt — which they suspected to be a firearm — at which point the witness notified school security.
“Responding officers did eventually locate a male with a holstered handgun on his waist on school property near the pool,” Troxel said.
Witnesses at the scene described the man as “animated” during his interaction with security and police, though Troxel declined to comment on the tone of their exchange. It was quickly determined that the man was an off-duty police officer for the City of Philadelphia, Troxel said.
Police have not identified the man or provided an explanation as to why he brought a firearm into the school. Troxel declined to comment further, citing the ongoing nature of their investigation, which he said will include a review of surveillance footage from the school and interviews with witnesses.
“The subject involved has been identified, was not a student, and there was no threat of violence or cause for concern of school safety during this incident,” Troxel said.
According to state law, possession of a weapon on school property is a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The statute allows for exceptions as long as “the weapon in possessed and used in conjunction with a lawful supervised school activity or course or is possessed for other lawful purposes.”
It’s currently unclear if an off-duty officer from a jurisdiction outside of the school district would fall under the exceptions within the statute. North Penn School District did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
Further information will be released once the investigation has concluded, police said.
