police chase men accused of bringing AR-15 to Bowsher Homecoming dance

Two men accused of bringing AR-15-style rifle to Bowsher High School during homecoming dance
Story by Megan Finke, Josh Croup •

TOLEDO, Ohio - Two men are accused of bringing a loaded AR-15-style rifle to Bowsher High School during its homecoming dance Saturday night and leading officers on a lengthy, high-speed pursuit, police said.

They brought the gun to the school so a student attending the dance could pose for pictures with it, according to court documents.

The men are identified as Vanard Kamron Shelton, 18, and Edward Levester Spikener, 19, both of Toledo.

Parents noticed the men get out of their car on Bowsher’s property and watched them hand over the gun to the student, police said. Those parents then notified Toledo Public Schools Police, officers said.

Police said the two men took off in their vehicle and led officers on a lengthy chase. Shelton was driving the vehicle and Spikener was the passenger, court records allege.

The chase exceeded speeds of 105 miles per hour at times, officers said. The pursuit almost led to “several crashes” as Shelton ran “several red lights,” according to police.

Both were eventually caught and arrested.

Shelton is charged with eluding police officers, improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle and illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon on school property, court records show.

Spikener was charged with tampering with evidence after allegedly throwing a pistol out the vehicle’s window during the chase. He’s also charged with illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon on school property, according to court documents.
They appeared in Lucas County Court Monday and were released without bail. Their next court date is scheduled for October 3.

TPS said in a statement Monday that while the two men who brought the gun don’t attend the school, the students who were involved in the incident are facing disciplinary action. You can read the district’s statement in full below.

“The safety of our students and staff members, whether during the school day or at an extracurricular event, is the number one priority for Toledo Public Schools and Bowsher High School. The incident that occurred at Bowsher’s homecoming dance on Saturday evening was unfortunate and unacceptable. Thankfully, the students who were at the dance to celebrate with their friends along with the staff members and volunteers who were working the event were never in danger.

We truly appreciate the parents who alerted officers to what was occurring outside the school and the quick response from law enforcement.

The two young men who were in possession of the weapons do not attend Bowsher and now face multiple criminal charges

FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Not withstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright.