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Darien Police Take Teen Into Custody Who Appears In Video With Handgun

DARIEN, Conn. -- A 16-year-old Darien High School student was taken into custody Friday after police said he appeared in an online video brandishing a handgun.

Darien police took a 16-year-old Darien High School student into custody after a video depicting a male brandishing a handgun appeared online.

Darien police took a 16-year-old Darien High School student into custody after a video depicting a male brandishing a handgun appeared online.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue, file

Police said the School Resource Officer assigned to Darien High School was made aware Friday morning of a short video posted to social media, depicting what appeared to be a young white brandishing a handgun and issuing verbal taunts. 

The male's face was partially obscured by a bandana, police said. The taunts were not specifically directed at an identifiable person, group, place or institution, police said.

The SRO was able to identify a Darien High School student who was present at the school at the time as potentially having some involvement in the video, according to police reports. The student was contacted in an office at the high school, where police said he became combative. He was taken into custody and transported to police headquarters.

Police said the video was not filmed at Darien High School. Investigation led police to a second 16-year-old, who police may have been involved in the video. The second teen is a Stamford resident who is an acquaintance of the Darien High School student, police said.

Stamford police investigators were contacted and came to Darien police. Information was developed that the person in the video was the Darien High School student who had been taken into custody, according to police. Stamford police did make contact with the Stamford teen and a parent, police said.

Police said that the handgun in the video was real. They received voluntary consent to search the residences of both teens, but said that the handgun seen in the video has not been located. Police said they will continue investigative efforts to locate the gun.

The Darien High School student has been remanded to the Bridgeport Juvenile Youth Detention Facility pending further proceedings, police said.

"This investigation is receiving the highest priority," Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello said. "I have been in close contact with Dr. Dan Brenner, Superintendent of Schools to ensure a timely exchange of information necessary to keep students, school staff, and parents aware of what information we do have. There is nothing to suggest that any criminal act was being planned. We will keep this line of communication open and, in conjunction with school administrators, do whatever is necessary to address any concerns school students, staff or parents may have. As always, the cooperation and assistance received from the Stamford Police Department was outstanding."

Police said that there is no other information being released at this time.

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