SUQUAMISH — A Suquamish boy got a big surprise during his day off from school for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Nico Harris, 12, was running through a neighbor’s front yard Jan. 19 when he tripped and fell over. When he looked back to see what caused his fall, his first reaction was “Whoa!”

He uncovered what turned out to be a gun, buried in the yard.

“I picked it up and dropped it, then picked it up and brought it over to my mom,” he said.

The Harrises called 911 and Kitsap County Deputy Steve Clarkson responded.

“To anybody, this would look like a real gun,” Clarkson said.

“It obviously was in the ground for a long time,” said Kitsap County Deputy Scott Wilson, noting the rust around the edges. The two deputies could tell it was not a real firearm, as the gun casing was all in one piece. If it were a semi-automatic, the top of the casing would pull back. Regardless, the pellet gun is still classified as a weapon, Clarkson said.

Wilson said residents don’t often find weapons but when they do, they usually belong to family members.

While Clarkson said Harris shouldn’t have touched the piece, he noted that the Harrises did the right thing by calling 911.

“If you find a firearm, don’t touch it,” he added.