12-year-old had loaded gun in his backpack, locking down SC middle school, cops say
A sixth-grade student has been arrested on multiple charges after he brought a loaded gun to a South Carolina middle school on Thursday.
The student had a gun on a bus before bringing it into Woodmont Middle School, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Administrators placed the school on lockdown and called law enforcement after being notified about the gun by other students, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies arrived at the school after 8:30 a.m. and located a 12-year-old boy, WHNS reported. The student was taken into custody after deputies discovered a loaded pistol in the backpack he was wearing, according to the news release.
“We do not have any knowledge that there was a threat directed to students or the school,” the sheriff’s office said in the news release.
Nobody was harmed, according to the sheriff’s office, which said it was grateful to the students who reported seeing the gun.
Because the boy is younger than 13, “a pick-up order was issued by a family court judge,” which allowed the student to be arrested, the sheriff’s office said in the news release. The 12-year-old has been charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds and unlawful carrying of pistol.
“We are grateful to the brave students who did the right thing and reported what they saw. We tell students often that if you ‘see something, say something,’ ” Greenville County School’s spokesperson Beth Brotherton said, according to the Greenville News. “It is one of the best ways to keep a school safe. Their information allowed the school to take quick action.”
The student who had the gun “has been suspended and faces expulsion,” Brotherton said, according to WSPA.
The sheriff’s office said the boy’s parents will not face any charges, the Greenville News reported.
A fifth-grade student was suspended and charged in connection with bringing a BB gun onto a school bus at another Greenville County school Thursday, per WSPA.
The 11-year-old girl brought the BB gun to Oakview Elementary School and threatened “to shoot another student following an off-campus incident” Wednesday, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Other students notified school administration about the gun, and the girl was charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds and student threats after the weapon was found in her backpack, the sheriff’s office said in the news release.
“At no time this morning, were students at risk or in a position of danger,” Brotherton said, per WYFF. The 11-year-old has been “recommended for expulsion,” according to the TV station.
“Due to the brave actions of the students in notifying staff, and the administration’s swift actions in notifying our office, nobody was harmed during this incident,” the sheriff’s office said in the news release.
