The student who brought a loaded gun — and a list of targets — to Pilot Butte Middle School in Bend last month has been released from custody but remains on house arrest, according to information gathered by The Bulletin at a juvenile detention hearing Thursday.

The 12-year-old boy was arrested on Oct. 21 on suspicion of attempted murder, first degree attempted assault and unlawful use of a weapon after he allegedly stole an unsecured handgun from his home and brought it to school. The student ultimately told a teacher he had a gun, and police later said he had a list of targets.

The student was released from custody on Oct. 31, despite objections from Pilot Butte Middle School parents and Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels. Gunnels could not expand on what those objections were out of privacy concerns for the juvenile, but the parent of a targeted student said during the hearing Thursday she was concerned the seventh grader was allowed to remain in the same environment where he obtained the firearm.

The Bulletin does not typically name juvenile offenders. Juvenile court records are largely confidential, but court proceedings are open to the public and the press.

A deciding factor in the child’s release, Judge Owyhee Weikel-Magden said, was that the child was receiving behavioral health treatment. He is also not allowed to leave his home except with permission of the court, cannot use electronic devices without parental supervision and has a no-contact order for all of the individuals identified on the list of targets. The student began online schooling, and the house arrest order was slightly modified Thursday to allow the child to attend an orthodontia appointment.

“Everything is going as directed, and we are following everything to a T,” the accused’s mother told the judge.

After the incident, a parent of the student was cited for a Class A violation for improper storage of a firearm. The statute, passed by the Oregon Legislature after months of debate in 2021, states broadly that all firearms in Oregon must be secured in a gun room, locked container or with an engaged trigger lock.

This incident is the first time a parent has been cited by the Bend Police Department for letting a minor get access to a firearm. Only two other citations have ever been issued under the safe storage law.

“This might have been much worse if not for the actions of Pilot Butte Middle School staff and the school resource officer,” said Gunnels. “These kinds of incidents are largely preventable, and these parents would be dealing with much more serious consequence than a fine if anyone had been hurt in this situation.”

Bend student who brought gun to school had list of targets