An armed man was able to walk into Zwink Elementary School in Klein, Texas, on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
Kyle Najm Chris, also known as Muhi Mohanad Najm, 39, was charged with possession of a weapon in a prohibited place after allegedly entering the school property after another visitor reportedly failed to properly secure the door.
The suspect has no known affiliation with the school.
One school employee told investigators that Chris was wearing full green military or tactical law enforcement attire, including a load-bearing vest, a taser, and a holstered firearm.
School and district officials explained in a letter to parents why they were not immediately notified of the incident.
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Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
“From the moment the individual left the front office, we were actively working with multiple law enforcement agencies to identify and apprehend this individual,” they wrote, according to KHOU.
“Sending a public notification during that window could have jeopardized those efforts, tipped off the suspect, and delayed the arrest.”
Officials were able to track the suspect through security camera footage, facial recognition, and the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Flock license plate database after he left the premises. The suspect reportedly left the school property, got into a blue Dodge Charger, and was later arrested at his home about a half-mile away, KTRK reported.
The suspect has no known affiliation with the school. He was arrested on Wednesday night and booked into the Harris County Jail.
One neighbor was inclined to think that there was a misunderstanding, describing the suspect as a friend and veteran.
“He watches my kid all the time for me. When I was in California and gone for a couple of months, my son would come home, and he would go to the bus stop and walk him home, put him in the house, let him sit in there, he could go across the street and get the neighbor, you know what I mean,” the man, identified only as Randy, told KTRK.
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