Manassas Park City Schools close Monday after loaded handgun found on campus

Manassas Park City Schools were closed on Monday after a loaded handgun was discovered in the parking lot of Manassas Park Middle School, WTOP reported.

A school transportation employee found the weapon on the ground between two school division vans around 6:30 a.m. during morning safety checks, according to the school division. Manassas Park Police were notified immediately and confirmed the weapon was a loaded handgun.

Officials said the closure was ordered out of an abundance of caution to allow police to conduct a search and investigation, FOX 5 DC reported. At the time, there was no known threat related to the weapon, according to Dr. Kara Rates, an executive director with the school division.

Authorities have not disclosed who owned the handgun, how it ended up in the parking lot, or how long it had been there. School officials thanked the transportation employee who found and reported the weapon, as well as the police for their response.