Teen charged after being caught with loaded gun at school in Columbia, deputies say
A student was found with a loaded gun on the campus of a high school in Columbia Tuesday, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.
The incident happened at Richland Northeast High School, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. The Richland District 2 school is on Brookfield Road in Columbia, near Decker Boulevard.
A 17-year-old student was arrested after the gun was discovered, according to the release.
No injuries were reported.
The student passed through a metal detector prior to class, the sheriff’s department said. The metal detector alerted, and the student was detained and searched, according to the release.
The loaded handgun was seized from his backpack, the sheriff’s department said.
There was no word that any threats were made, or that the gun was pointed at any students or staff.
The student, whose name is not being made public because of his age, was charged with bringing a weapon on school property, unlawful carry of a weapon, and possession of a pistol under 18, the sheriff’s department said.
The teen was booked into the juvenile wing of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
Information about where the student got the gun, or why he had it on campus, was not available.
There was no word if the high school was placed on any kind of lockdown during the incident.
Metal detectors are set up randomly at various Richland 2 schools, the sheriff’s department said.
“Students should never bring weapons onto school grounds and they face serious consequences when they do,” Richland Northeast High Principal Mark Sims said in 2022. “In accordance with state and federal law, (Richland 2) states that a student who brings a weapon to school faces expulsion of no less than one year.”
There have been multiple incidents in the past where students brought weapons to Richland Northeast High.
In May 2022, a 15-year-old student was arrested after a loaded gun was discovered by a school resource officer who was alerted about the weapon through social media. No injuries were reported in that incident.
In February 2022, a different 15-year-old student was arrested on multiple charges Monday after he was found with an unloaded gun on the school’s campus. Again, no injuries were reported.
In October 2019, two teenagers (14 and 15 years old) were charged with multiple crimes after they brought a stolen gun and ammunition to Richland Northeast High School.
It wasn’t a gun, but in September 2022, a female student at Richland Northeast High was charged after she was involved in a fight with two other students and pulled out a knife. Administrators and the school resource officer intervened quickly and the other students were not hurt, the sheriff’s department said.
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This story was originally published April 5, 2023 at 8:27 AM.
