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Firearm discovered Tuesday at Lee’s Summit West; gun had been reported missing in July

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A firearm was discovered Tuesday morning in the Performing Arts Center at Lee’s Summit West High School, district officials said in a letter to families and staff.

Superintendent Dr. David Buck said the firearm was immediately secured by the school resource officer, who contacted Lee’s Summit police.

Police believe the firearm was “misplaced” by a patron who had attended an event at the PAC hosted by an external group last month.

Buck said the patron reported the missing firearm to law enforcement, which included the patron listing all of the places they had been to on the day the gun was misplaced. School officials were not made aware the weapon may have been left on campus, per Buck.

The superintendent called the news “unsettling.”

“Our schools are gun-free campuses, and at no point should a firearm have been brought onto our campus,” Buck wrote in the letter. “The safety and security of our students and staff is of the utmost importance in the district, and school officials are evaluating this situation with our police partners.”

Buck said the district will conduct a thorough review of the incident and share updates as necessary.

“We are grateful to the individuals who immediately reported the weapon to administration so that this situation could be swiftly addressed,” Buck said in reiterating the district’s “If you see something, say something” motto.

If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.