13-year-old SC student brought gun to Rock Hill school in jacket pocket, officials say
A 13-year-old boy brought a gun to his middle school near Rock Hill on Monday, sheriff and school officials said.
The weapon was found in a jacket pocket of the juvenile at Castle Heights Middle School, according to York County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Trent Faris and a sheriff’s office incident report. No one was hurt, Faris said.
The report also said there were “no threats or targets made at school.” The weapon was seized, deputies said.
The boy was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on school property, according to the incident report.
“Our deputies are investigating the incident and the juvenile was charged accordingly,” Faris said in a statement to The Herald.
The juvenile was petitioned to York County Family Court, Faris said.
The weapon was discovered when “a student saw something and said something,” according to the incident report.
“We are thankful for the student who let our SRO (school resource officer) know using the see something say something approach,” Faris said in a statement.
School response
Rock Hill school district spokesperson Lindsay Machak told The Herald Castle Heights officials sent statements to parents around 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday.
The statement around 1 p.m. Monday advised Castle Heights parents of law enforcement activity at the school.
A statement from Cynthia Robinson, the principal at Castle Heights, to parents sent out Monday stated a student told an adult about another student having a gun.
A portion of the statement from the principal said: “A student who believed a classmate had a firearm in school alerted an adult of the allegation. The adult then told an administrator, who immediately responded with law enforcement to investigate the claim.
Within minutes, the administrator and law enforcement went to a classroom and removed the student in question. They were able to take an alleged firearm into adult possession immediately and cooperatively.
At this time, we don’t believe the student was threatening anyone.”
Principal tells parents about safety
The school will continue to ensure school safety and reiterated weapons are not allowed on campus, Robinson’s second statement to parents said.
Robinson said she wanted to thank the student who “was brave enough to speak up” and that it’s everyone’s responsibility to “say something” if they “see something.” She said the school will continue random safety screenings, including with the sheriff’s office K-9 unit, and reminded parents that all weapons are prohibited on campus.
Students found with weapons on campus will face legal penalties, she said.
First gun in 2023 school year, police say
Castle Heights, on Firetower Road, is outside the Rock Hill city limits in the York County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction. A sheriff’s deputy is assigned there as school resource officer, Faris said..
Some Rock Hill schools are in the city of Rock Hill and some are in York County. It is the first firearm found in a school under county jurisdiction in 2023, Faris said.
The Rock Hill Police Department has not had any reports of firearms found on campuses in the current school year, Lt. Michael Chavis said.
In the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, three guns were found at schools in the district, officials said. Two of those were at high schools and one at a middle school.
This story was originally published November 28, 2023 at 1:47 PM.
