BB Gun Incident at WHS Varsity Football Game Leads to Juvenile Court Referrals

Two middle school–aged students have been referred to Juvenile Court after a BB gun was brought to the Wilton High School varsity football game last Friday night, Nov. 14. According to Wilton Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Smith and Wilton Police Chief Tom Conlan, the incident was identified quickly thanks to students who saw a video online showing a student handling the gun in the stands and reported it to officers working at the event.

Police say the video — recorded by another student — showed a juvenile holding and pointing what appeared to be a gun at another student. Officers later confirmed the object was an unloaded BB gun, but emphasized that the actions still posed a serious safety concern.

How the Incident Unfolded

According to both Smith and Conlan, one student brought the BB gun to the game, and a second student held the gun and pointed it at another person. Smith said other students were witnesses, including one who recorded the video, but did not report it to any school officials or police present at the game.

Shortly after, two other students saw the video online and reported it to a Wilton police officer assigned to the game. That officer alerted School Resource Officer [SRO] Christopher Ventura, who was also at the stadium at the time.

Ventura interviewed the students who came forward and determined that the juvenile seen holding the BB gun had already left the premises.

Conlan said officers responded immediately once the video was reported, focusing first on whether anyone in the stadium was in danger.

“Obviously, our biggest concern when there’s an incident like this is to make sure people who are currently at the game, if it’s ongoing incident, are safe. Otherwise, we’d have to take measures … whether it be an evacuation or something like that. But they quickly determined that it was a BB gun and, from witnesses at the event, that the suspect had left the game,” Conlan said.

Officers searched the area, confirmed the student had departed, and later located the juvenile suspect at home. Police then learned that a second juvenile had supplied the BB gun, which they were able to recover.

Conlan praised the quick actions of both officers and students which he said contributed to being able to resolve the incident quickly.

“Parents need to feel rest assured that we made a quick determination that this was a BB gun, and we were able to identify the juvenile involved and make contact with them in a very short period of time,” Conlan said, adding “I’m glad that there were a couple students who were levelheaded enough to make contact with one of our officers and bring it to our attention.”

Both Smith and Conlan confirmed that metal detectors are not part of routine security at WHS athletic events, but administrators have used handheld wands with students at certain times. Staff and administrators monitor entrances on both the home and visitor sides of the stadium.

Following an anonymous social media claim that police improperly interviewed juveniles without parental presence, Conlan clarified that Wilton Police followed all juvenile interview protocols.

“Anytime we’re interviewing a juvenile we suspect of a crime, we have to read them their rights as well as have a parent present,” Conlan said, noting, “the important part there is ‘suspect of a crime.'” We can talk to any juvenile if we think they’re a witness, but once law enforcement suspects them of a crime, then that’s when the Miranda [part of] juvenile rights kick, where a parent has to be present before we go any further with the questioning.”

“That’s what we did in this case,” Conlan said.

As confirmed by the police press release, both juveniles have been referred to Juvenile Court for a delinquent act.

School Response and Community Messaging

Neither the police department nor the district could share details about the students involved, both because they are juveniles and, as Smith emphasized, the district has an obligation — and policy — to limit the amount of details that can be shared publicly to protect student privacy.

He did say the students involved are middle schoolers, not WHS students. He contacted families soon after the incident and distributed a community letter on Saturday.

“We’re always challenged to share information, but we shared the letter with the community, let them know that this transpired, because we want to be transparent and let people know that we’re involved and taking it seriously,” Smith said.

He added that Middlebrook School and district staff were working over the weekend investigating and engaged with the families involved. Monday morning, Middlebrook Principal Jory Higgins held a voluntary faculty meeting with the staff to prepare them, and there were mental health support staff from the high school on hand as well.

Smith said the district’s discipline policies will guide the response to the current incident, but he was limited on what details he could share. He added that administrators have tried to learn from past experience when the public felt uninformed about whether and how students involved in similar kinds of incidents were disciplined.

“There were a lot of people in the community who didn’t have the full story, demanding justice. As we worked through that, it was clear our discipline policies didn’t specify to a degree that would give … a clear understanding of what the specific consequences were, and so we revised them. So in our handbooks today, there’s a table with a range of offenses and a range of consequences as well,” he said.

With the handbook available online, Smith encourages anyone to read the policy to “get a flavor for what the what the consequences are.” [Editor’s note: the table to which Smith refers begins on p. 79 of the 2025-26 Student and Family Handbook on the District website.]

“I would add that these types of situations we take very seriously and we respond to very strongly. And then people need to just understand what that means.”

Smith acknowledged the seriousness of bringing any kind of gun — even an unloaded BB gun — to a school-related event.

“The choice to bring the BB gun on site was incredibly irresponsible, just really poor decision making in the extreme. There were other kids around in the stands, they were obviously not understanding the gravity of having this BB gun there … it didn’t strike them as concerning, and they didn’t report it either,” Smith said.

All the more reason to appreciate the students who did come forward to alert police.

“I’m really proud of the two students who did recognize the gravity of the concern and brought it to brought it to the SRO,” Smith added. “That’s something in our community — parents, staff, others — we need to continue to preach. If you see something, say something.”

He also encouraged parents to remain engaged with their children about decision-making, online behavior, and the importance of reporting safety concerns.

Balancing Discipline With a Restorative Approach

Smith said the district’s response to incidents like this requires balancing two realities: the seriousness of the behavior and the fact that the students involved are still developing adolescents. That balance, he noted, is often “hard to convey in writing” because, while still acknowledging the seriousness of the action, “in situations like this, there is always nuance.”

Smith emphasized that while the district’s discipline policies outline “clear, strong consequences,” they also include a restorative component designed to help students learn from their mistakes and remain part of the community.

“We’re dealing with young people who exercised incredibly poor judgment,” he said, adding that the school system’s responsibility is not only to hold students accountable but also “to educate the decision-making part of their brains, because their adolescence is not fully formed.”

He explained that the discipline framework intentionally includes restorative practices: helping students understand the harm caused, make amends where appropriate, and rebuild trust so they can continue to learn in the community they live in. “These kids and these families… live in this community, and so we have to help teach them — they have a right to be here,” Smith said.

At the same time, he acknowledged that many families will view any incident involving a gun — even an unloaded BB gun — through the wider lens of school safety.

“I was superintendent in Bethel the morning of the Sandy Hook shooting, so I understand that as well as anybody does. We recognize the potential harm to the community, the continued undermining of safety that occurs when events like this happen,” he said, adding that he feels it as well as a parent with kids in the district.

It’s a “challenging dynamic” that Smith said the district tries to manage as best as possible, including through working closely with the Wilton Police Department and legal advisors.

Smith said incidents like this also serve as reminders that safety is a shared responsibility. Parents must stay engaged with their children — online and offline — and students must continue to speak up when they see something concerning. “Kids are going to do things… that’s natural and normal,” he said. “But parents have to be engaged. We can’t reinforce that message strongly enough. We have a shared obligation to foster safety and well-being in this community.”

Conlan, who also has school-aged children, said he understands the stress incidents like this create for families.

But he urged parents to rely on information from the district or police — not online forums.

“Social media, sometimes it’s unfortunate. I would say, don’t try and get your information from Wilton 411, 412 and 413. If there’s any other question for parents, just reach out to the Board of Education or one of our SROs,” Conlan said.