A number of incidents involving BB shootings on campus have the University Police looking for a suspect who could face charges ranging from criminal mischief to assault.
Near the beginning of the semester, a student was visiting a friend in McLean Hall, rolled into the hallway on an office chair and was shot in the right cheek by a BB. Before he could look to see what happened, he heard doors slam and no one was in sight.
That student required medical attention at Chambersburg Hospital due to the BB being lodged under his skin. The police conducted searches and interviews after the incident, but no suspect or weapon were located.
If a suspect was found in this case, he or she would at least face simple assault charges, according to Lt. Thomas Rumberger of the University Police.
Besides that, there have been a couple of incidents in recent weeks involving criminal mischief using BBs, according to Rumberger.
At McLean Hall, where the student was shot in the face, someone shot the glass front door with a BB, causing the window to shatter.
“The unfortunate thing about the glass door being shot at McLean is everyone in that building has to pay for that,” Rumberger said.
Also, during homecoming weekend, someone shot a window with a BB at Cora I. Grove Spiritual Center.
It is unknown if these incidents are related, but this is not the first time officers have dealt with students having BB guns and pistols on campus.
One concern is the gun being used in these incidents looking like a real pistol.
Rumberger pulled out a box full of confiscated items including at least 15 BB pistols that did not have orange tips on them, and looked like real pistols.
They were gathered over approximately a 10-year time period.
Rumberger mentioned that if one of them were pulled out on someone, especially at night, one would not question the authenticity of the gun.
This adds to the risk of the BB pistols being used to rob someone since it is hard to tell the difference.
Either way, they are dangerous to have on campus,and banned by the university’s policy. However, they are not illegal in the state of Pennsylvania.
He encouraged students to report to University Police if they see someone with a BB gun, or provide them with any information they may have on these recent incidents.
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