EASTPORT, N.Y. — The off-duty police officer who left his gun in a Long Island high school bathroom Monday night is also a member of the district's Board of Education, officials said Tuesday.
According to Suffolk County Police, the Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating an incident in which an off-duty member of the department accidentally discharged his weapon in a school bathroom at Eastport South Manor Junior Senior High School at 6:15 p.m. December 11.
On Tuesday, Joseph Steimel, Superintendent of Schools, sent a message to the community, calling what happened an “isolated incident.”
“During a routine cleaning of the school, a custodial crew member found a handgun in a restroom and immediately notified building security who worked with administration to establish an emergency protocol procedure,” he said.
The building manager immediately notified the police and area security began a preliminary investigation. the toilet was secured by the security team and no one was allowed in the area until the police arrived to conduct a thorough investigation, he said.
“As part of this investigation, it was quickly determined that the gun belonged to an off-duty police officer, who is a parent who used the bathroom just before the hour and accidentally left it,” Steimel said. “This information was quickly determined as the off-duty officer was still in the building, very close to the restroom. The off-duty officer returned to the restroom and shared the information with our security officers.”
The parent cooperated with the district's security team, as well as the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department when they arrived on the scene to investigate the security situation, he said.
“Thankfully the matter was resolved quickly by SCPD and without further impact on the safety and security of our school,” Steimel said, thanking the district's warden members, security team and administration for their “quick action and attention on this important matter Most importantly, I would like to recognize SCPD for their swift attention to this security situation and their continued cooperation with our school community,” he said.
Later in the day, Steimel sent an update: “As with any safety issue, the district completed a follow-up analysis to review the events surrounding the incident and the protocols that were quickly put in place,” he said.
Steimel said he is not sharing the identity of the off-duty officer because, “as in all security matters, the names of individuals and/or their professional positions in the area have historically not been shared during such communications, both for privacy and and for legal reasons However, the individual has released his name publicly and I can now confirm that the off-duty police officer is a member of the Board of Education and was on campus for a special BOE meeting yesterday afternoon, coming directly from his job. “
He did not specify the man's name.
Steimel also addressed the timeline in which the events unfolded: The gun was found in the bathroom at approximately 6:24 p.m. and immediately reported to security, who secured the scene until 6:26 p.m., he said.
From there, the administrative team established district emergency protocols — including contacting the Suffolk County Police Department, Steimel said.
“At the same time, building management notified my office and the Board of Education of the matter, at which point the off-duty officer identified himself as the gun's owner and returned to the scene. All of this happened in fluid motion over the course of about 15 minutes, during during which time neither the gun nor its location was accessible to anyone other than area staff, our security team and the police upon their arrival.”
He added: “Therefore, the situation was not considered an imminent threat and the ongoing work of the building activities remained uninterrupted, including our concert which had concluded at 6.34pm.”
Steimel said he did not mean to “diminish the issue or the concerns that our families may have about a gun being found in one of our schools. However, I hope these additional details will help explain the brevity with which events took place — namely, how quickly the gun was found, how quickly the scene was secured and its owner identified. School safety and security remains our district's top priority, and we assure all families that we take these matters very seriously.”
Steimel added that the district will continue to work to review and strengthen safety initiatives, protocols and procedures to further protect the ESM school community.
