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8-year-old Georgia boy arrested, facing four criminal charges, for discharging gun in school

8-year-old Georgia boy arrested, facing four criminal charges, for discharging gun in school
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A Milledgeville, Georgia boy was arrested on Friday when a gun discharged from the boy's backpack inside an elementary school, WMAZ-TV reported

The boy attends Lakeview Academy, a school for students in grades 3 through 5. 

The boy told investigators that he was unaware that there was a gun in his backpack, and that he had never seen the firearm before. The gun reportedly went off as he was going through his backpack in the back of the classroom. 

After authorities arrived at the school, he was placed under arrest. 

The boy is facing four charges, according to WMAZ: Carrying a weapon in a school zone; reckless conduct; disrupting or interfering with public school; and possession of a pistol by a person under 18. 

Baldwin County Sheriff's Maj. Scott Deason told WMAZ that the firearm was a stolen Smith & Wesson 9-millimeter. 

Deason told the Union Reporter that that student could not explain to investigators how he ended up with the gun.

“They questioned the juvenile in the presence of his mother,” Deason told the Union Reporter. “The mother also stated she didn’t know how the gun got into her son’s book bag.”

The Union Reporter added that the boy is not allowed back in school until after he goes through the court system.