Dickinson High School Student Charged After Handgun Located In Backpack

Location: John Dickinson High School, 1801 Milltown Road, Wilmington, DE

Date of Occurrence: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 1:53 p.m.

Defendant/Charges/Bond Information:
Dahmere White-17 of Wilmington, DE
Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited with a Prior Felony
Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited with a Prior Felony
Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon a Firearm
Possession of a Weapon with a Removed, Obliterated, or Altered Serial Number
Possession of a Weapon in a Safe School Zone
Resisting Arrest
Bond status pending arraignment at time of this release

Wilmington - Troopers have arrested a 17 year old John Dickinson High School student on weapons charges after a loaded handgun was found concealed in his backpack.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at approximately 1:53 p.m. after a Delaware State Trooper, assigned to the John Dickinson High School as a School Resource Officer (SRO), was notified by school officials of a tip received that a 17 year old male student, later identified as Dahmere White-17 of Wilmington, Delaware was possibly in possession of a handgun, concealed in his backpack. The Trooper and school staff were able to locate White in a first floor classroom while class was in session. The Trooper and school staff contacted White inside of the classroom where he was immediately separated from the backpack and school staff escorted White into the main hallway. The Trooper entered the classroom and took possession and secured the backpack located on the seat of the desk where White had been located. White immediately fled on foot down the main hallway and exited the school fleeing into a wooded area. A subsequent search of the backpack revealed a fully loaded Kel-Tec 9mm Luger semiautomatic handgun with the serial number obliterated. (Evidence photo attached)

An extensive terrain search of the surrounding area for White was conducted by Troopers assisted by the Delaware State Police Aviation Helicopter Trooper 4, and New Castle County Police. At approximately 2:35 p.m. White was located by Troopers on Tapley Lane in the development of Limestone Acres, where he was taken into custody without incident.

During and after the incident, Troopers in coordination with school officials took appropriate and preventative safety and security measures to ensure the safety of the students and school faculty. There was no immediate threat or danger to the safety of the students or faculty during this incident.

Further investigation and interviews revealed that White was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Dahmere White was charged with the above crimes and was being held pending arraignment at the time of this release.

Troopers continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident.