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Woman arrested after shooting incident

LOWELLVILLE — In the midst of the response to a shooting at Lowellville’s school campus on Thursday, a woman coming to pick up a student arrived with a firearm, police said.

Jessica Wolfe, 31, was booked into the Mahoning County jail on Thursday on a charge of illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon in a school safety zone. No bond was set as of Thursday night.

During a press conference following the self-inflicted shooting that injured one student, Lowellville police Chief Rick Alli gave a firm warning: law enforcement will not tolerate parents bringing guns onto school property.

“I want to put it out there, a lot of parents on social media, especially in the last couple of months, (have been) saying that this is what they would do (in this situation),” Alli said. “And for anybody to show up untrained, unfamiliar with a weapon, we’re not going to tolerate that.”

The Ohio Revised Code states, “No person shall knowingly convey, or attempt to convey, a deadly weapon … into a school safety zone.” It also outlaws objects that are indistinguishable from a firearm and brandishing an item claimed to be a firearm at a school.

The law does not apply to law enforcement officers and also allows for someone with a valid concealed carry license to leave a handgun in a locked vehicle.

Violating the law is a fifth-degree felony.

Ohio’s new law that will allow handguns to be carried without a concealed carry permit will not change the laws governing weapons in school zones, according to the Buckeye Firearms Association.

Senate Bill 215, which Gov. Mike DeWine has signed into law, will take effect June 13, making it legal to carry a concealed handgun without a license in Ohio. School zones, however, do not fall under the new Ohio guidelines because federal law still requires a concealed handgun license in school zones, according to Buckeye Firearms Association.

Shortly after 10:15 a.m. Thursday, Lowellville school complex went into lockdown in response to the shooting. More than an hour later, students were escorted in groups to anxious parents waiting on the football field.

Alli confirmed that a parent was taken into custody for bringing a firearm to the campus. Reports indicate Wolfe was arrested swiftly by Mahoning County sheriff’s deputies.

Alli said parents who bring a gun to a school during an incident like the one at Lowellville put other children in danger. Plus, police might not immediately know the difference between a parent with a weapon and someone who poses a threat.

He said the quick police response to the initial shooting Thursday was “done correctly,” and he thanked the other law enforcement agencies that provided assistance to Lowellville police.

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