Student brought loaded gun to high school in Columbia, police say

A teenager was arrested on multiple charges after he was found with a loaded gun at a Richland County high school, the Columbia Police Department said Wednesday.

Police said the 17-year-old student was arrested on Tuesday by the school resource officer at C.A. Johnson High School, on Barhamville Road in Columbia. The Richland District 1 school is near Two Notch Road.

The student has not been publicly identified because he is a minor.

The teenager was charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol, carrying a weapon on school property, and possession of a weapon by person under 18, police said in a news release. He’s being held in the juvenile section of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to the release.

At about 10:30 a.m., a school administrator received information that a student had a loaded gun on campus, police said. The administrator then immediately told the SRO who located the student in a classroom, and the gun was found inside the teen’s book bag, according to the release.

The SRO seized the gun and properly secured it, according to the release.

Police said there were no reports of threats made by the teen, and no injuries were reported.

“School administrators and the school resource officer at C.A. Johnson High School responded quickly after receiving a report yesterday that a student may have a gun,” Richland 1 spokesperson Karen York told The State. “Thankfully, the weapon was found and confiscated from the student and no one was injured.”

Police continue to investigate the incident and are working with Richland 1, according to the release. Part of the investigation is trying to determine the origin of the gun, but information about how the teen got possession of the weapon was not available.

“We continue to urge our students and staff to report anything they see or hear that may pose a threat to school safety,” York said.

There was no word if the teen will face any discipline from the school district in addition to any criminal consequences, but students can face expulsion if they are found in possession of a weapon at school.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

Lock It Up

As part of CPD’s continuing anti-gun violence initiative, free gunlocks are available to the public through the ‘Lock It Up Columbia’ partnership with the City of Columbia. Here are safety tips to encourage safe storage of firearms:

▪ Store unloaded firearms in a locked box/case/safe/gun cabinet with a gunlock.

▪ Never store ammunition in the same place as the firearm.

▪ Never store keys to a gunlock, box, case, etc. in the same place as the firearm.

▪ Talk to children & family members about the dangers of firearms in the wrong hands.

▪ Avoid ‘hiding’ firearms in hard-to-reach places away from children/vulnerable adults.

SOURCE: Columbia Police Department