Kenneth Rhodes, 20, is charged with unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon on school campus in the incident.
Rhodes was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Tuesday. Rhodes’ family declined to comment.
Prosecutors have filed a motion to detain him until trial.
“(Rhodes) actions put everyone, including fellow students, in extreme danger,” according to the motion.
Albuquerque police responded to Valley High School after a gun was found inside Rhodes’ backpack, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan court. Two students had told the principal that Rhodes had a gun in his bag.
Police said the principal went through the backpack but found no gun and sent Rhodes back to class. Twenty minutes later, a third student searched Rhodes locker and found the gun in the bag and told the ROTC chief.
The chief took the bag and gun to the principal’s office where Albuquerque police met with Rhodes, according to the complaint. Rhodes initially told police he didn’t bring a gun to school before being shown the gun in his backpack.
Police said Rhodes’ mother confirmed the gun, a 9mm handgun, was his father’s and Rhodes said “he wanted to confess.” Rhodes told police he brought the gun to school to “show two of his ROTC friends.”
