BELLEVILLE, IL (KTVI) – A Belleville West High School senior is apologizing for pointing an air soft pellet gun outside the window of a vehicle parked on the school’s campus. Police say the air gun closely resembles a real handgun.
An off-duty deputy coroner spotted the incident and contacted police. The call came in as a gun pointed at football players. Football players were picking up their pads Thursday for summer practice. Officers from multiple departments responded.
Vantezz Carter was charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. He told FOX 2 he’s sorry for causing a brief lockdown on campus.
“I’m sorry for everything I did,” said Carter. “It was my fault.”
Carter said he was picking up his football pads for summer practice when he hopped in a friend’s SUV. He said that friend had several air soft pellet guns in a bag. Carter admits grabbing one and pointing it out the window. He just wants his classmates to know he meant no harm.
The high school punt returner, cornerback and wide recevier said he’s a fun loving jokester. Carter is now worried about what discipline he will face. His home is filled with football photos and awards. He said football is everything to him.
“I’m harmless. I don’t do anything to hurt people,” said Carter.
The school district sent a letter about the incident to parents. It read in part, “The student involved in this incident will be disciplined accordingly. We do not tolerate this type of behavior in or around our campuses. It is important to emphasize to our students that what seems like horseplay or a joke is often times taken very seriously.”