Student found with gun at high school in Columbia, Richland County sheriff says
A student was found with a gun on the campus of a high school in Columbia on Tuesday, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
The weapon was discovered at Richland Northeast High School, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. The Richland 2 school is in a part of Columbia between Decker Boulevard and Interstate 77.
Jamier Daniel, an 18-year-old student, was arrested after the gun was discovered, according to the release.
No injuries were reported, and there was no indication that any threats were made, or that the gun was pointed at any students or staff.
There was no word if the gun was loaded.
The handgun was discovered at about 8:40 a.m., as Daniel entered the school, the sheriff’s department said. It was not clear if metal detectors alerted school officials to presence of the gun.
School resource officers were notified and responded to secure the pistol and arrest Daniel, according to the release.
Daniel was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where he was charged with carrying a weapon on school property, the sheriff’s department said. No bond has been set and the teenager remains locked up in the detention center, jail records show.
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 security protocol during the incident. Information about any punishment Daniel faces from the school or district was not available.
Weapons at Richland Northeast
This is not the first time a gun has been found at the high school’s campus.
In September 2025, a secretary at the high school was arrested after she was found with a gun at Richland Northeast High, according to the sheriff’s department.
In April 2023, a student was found with a loaded gun on the school’s campus and the 17-year-old student was arrested, the sheriff’s department said.
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 March 24, 2026 at 2:27 PM.
