Guns Delivered to School After Address Mix-Up

Workers thought boxes contained textbooks
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 25, 2022 4:46 AM CDT
FedEx Mistakenly Delivers Rifles to High School
A FedEx truck drives in Philadelphia.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

A Philadelphia-area high school that was expecting a delivery of textbooks and school supplies received a delivery of guns instead. Police say a FedEx driver dropped off six boxes, each containing an M1 rifle, at the loading dock of Chester High School on Friday, CBS Philadelphia reports. District authorities say the packages did not appear suspicious, so they were stored at the high school over the weekend. Chester Police Commissioner Steven Gretsky says the FedEx driver contacted police after realizing the mistake and the guns were picked up Monday, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"The driver was you can see visibly concerned and very professional, very, apologetic. He definitely made it clear that it was a mistake," says Chester Upland School District Superintendent Dr. Craig Parkinson. Gretsky says it was an "honest mistake" and no charges will be filed. He says the guns, manufactured by Springfield Armory, were meant to go to an "avid gun collector" who owns an auto shop on West 9th Street in Chester Township—but they were delivered to the high school on West 9th Street in the city of Chester.

"I'm just grateful we had positive results that we were able to get the firearms from the high school back here instead of somewhere else on the street in the city," Gretsky says. Classes at the high school begin next week. Parkinson sent a letter to parents Monday explaining the mix-up. "We wanted to communicate with you about this in case you hear rumors in the community or on social media," he said. (More Pennsylvania stories.)

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