Teen student found with gun on campus of high school in Richland County, deputies say

A student was found with a gun on the campus of a Midlands high school Tuesday afternoon, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.

The incident happened at Blythewood High School, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. The Richland 2 school is on Wilson Boulevard, near the junction of Blythewood Road and Interstate 77.

A 15-year-old student was taken into custody after the gun was discovered, according to the release. The teen’s name was not made public because of his age.

Blythewood High administrators told the school resource officer that a gun had been found inside of a student’s backpack, the sheriff’s department said.

The 15-year-old was charged with having a weapon on school grounds, possession of a pistol under 18, unlawful carry and simple possession of marijuana, according to the release. The teen was booked into the juvenile wing of Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, the sheriff’s department said.

No injuries were reported, no threats were made to any students or staff, and the gun was not presented, the sheriff’s department said.

Information about how the gun was found was not available.

There was no word if the high school was placed on any kind of lockdown, or if parents were notified about the situation during the incident.

There was an incident at another Richland 2 school Tuesday. Spring Valley High was evacuated because of a threatening email and students were dismissed early, Richland 2 officials said.

Both law enforcement and Richland 2 security said they didn’t believe the threat was credible.

This story was originally published February 1, 2023 at 8:28 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

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Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription