Philadelphia — For years, Kennett Square Police Chief Albert McCarthy had taught Corey Medina and his classmates to stay away from guns.
But he never dreamed he'd be the one to put Medina to the test. Now, the 12-year-old sixth-grader is a hero at his school because he did exactly what he was taught to do.
McCarthy is on a four-day unpaid suspension imposed by himself. It's an odd turn of events, but one that everyone is glad had a happy ending.
"I feel good. I'm proud of myself," Medina said. McCarthy said he's proud of him, too.
"It's one thing to teach kids things because you're never sure the message is getting across," McCarthy said. "There's no question Corey got the message. He never even touched the gun."
Shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, McCarthy arrived at Mary D. Lane Elementary School in Kennett Square to give his Drug Abuse Resistance Education lecture. It was the first time in 11 years of teaching the class that he brought his gun into the school building. But unnerved by the shooting at a California school on Monday, he decided to wear it.
During the lecture, he noticed his shirt was untucked, so during the video portion of his program, he ducked into the bathroom adjacent to the classroom to adjust his clothing.
He removed the gun from its holster and took the bullet clip out. He then disabled the gun and set it on the windowsill. But moments later, he got a call about a development in a theft case and he walked out of the restroom to take the call.
A minute or so later, Medina walked into the bathroom and spotted the gun on the windowsill.
"I was kinda scared," he said. "So I went to my teacher and whispered in her ear that I found a gun."
She immediately went out to tell McCarthy.
"As soon as she told me I knew it was mine," he said.
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