Edinburg North student had pistol and ammo, feds say

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A student at Edinburg North High School brought a pistol and a loaded magazine to school on Monday and Tuesday, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Kinzey Lira, 18, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm in a school zone.

“There was no lockdown. There was no immediate threat,” said Lisa Ayala, the director of Public Relations and Media Communications for the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District. “There was nothing like that.”

Edinburg CISD sent out a news release about the incident on Tuesday.

Edinburg CISD sent out a news release about the incident on Tuesday.

In the news release, Edinburg CISD said “school administrators recovered an unloaded firearm from a student’s backpack.”

While the pistol apparently wasn’t loaded, Kinzey also had “a magazine loaded with ten (10) rounds” of ammunition, according to the criminal complaint against him.

Edinburg CISD didn’t mention the ammunition in the news release, which assured the public that “at no point was there a threat to students or staff, and all individuals on campus remained safe and secure.”

A criminal complaint was filed against the student, Kinzey Lira, on Wednesday.

Ayala said the student wasn’t near the backpack when law enforcement seized the weapon.

Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives interviewed Lira after the gun had been seized.

“During the interview, LIRA told agents that he purchased the firearm approximately one (1) week ago,” according to the criminal complaint. “LIRA stated that he brought the firearm to school on both Monday, May 05, 2025, and Tuesday, May 06, 2025.”

Court records don’t list an attorney for Lira, who remained in federal custody Wednesday and couldn’t be reached for comment.