A 16-year-old Yonkers boy who allegedly brought a loaded handgun to Roosevelt High School yesterday morning may have been trying to protect himself from bullies, a classmate says.

Asante Shaqur says Alrick Bucknor was new at Roosevelt High School and has been having trouble adjusting. Shaqur says some of the students were verbally abusing his friend, and on Monday, Bucknor asked for his help. "He said he had some problems and if I can help him, and I told him I couldn't get in trouble and I told him not to do anything stupid," Shaqur says.

School officials say each student is screened before entering the building up until 8:30 a.m., but because Bucknor had been late that day, he managed to get through security unchecked.

Bucknor was arraigned today and is due back in court later this month. In addition to the criminal charges he's facing, school officials say he'll be suspended for a year and will face a disciplinary hearing.