Dinwiddie School Student Taken Into Custody After Being Found With Gun On Campus
A 15-year-old male student from Dinwiddie High School has been arrested after being found in possession of an unloaded .45 caliber semi-auto handgun, according to school officials.
WTVR reports that while the weapon was unloaded when it was discovered, the student also had ammunition for the weapon in his school bag, according to the Dinwiddie Sheriff’s Department.
The gun was uncovered because a member of staff at the school had overheard the student talking about it, and reacted quickly to alert authorities to the situation. The teacher reported the student around 12:30 p.m., according to the school. After school administrators located the male student, he was taken into custody by police without incident, and confiscated the gun and ammunition from him.
According to the student, the gun came from a house where he had slept the previous night, and legally belonged to an adult.
“All evidence suggests that this is an isolated incident and there is no threat to students or staff,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Royal A. Gurley Jr. “The student is in the custody of law enforcement and will face legal action. Additionally, consequences will be imposed against the student in accordance with state law and the Student Code of Conduct.”
15-year-old student found with gun inside Dinwiddie High School | https://t.co/lXx4hGjjOp https://t.co/UgNDtyRDjt
— Kenneth Trump (@safeschools) October 17, 2018
Parents at the school were only notified about the incident after the school day ended, something many of them were upset by.
Dinwiddie County Public Schools also released a statement about the incident, per ABC8 News.
“The safety of students and staff is the number one priority of Dinwiddie County Public Schools and anyone who compromises that will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.”
The school shared the news and their statements via their official Twitter account.
This incident occurred on the same day that another student from Goose Creek, South Carolina, fled his school campus after he was found in possession of a loaded gun. According to NBC2, this occurred around 11 a.m. this morning, when the sheriff’s office called the school wanting to speak to the student regarding the gun.
Police believe that the 16-year-old male student is also involved in a spate of car break-ins in the area. As soon as police located the student and took the gun off him, he fled the school grounds. He crossed the road outside the school and ran into a wooded area. The officer in pursuit was unable to locate him in the woods, and a search has been launched for him.
