Anonymous tip alerts officers before 2 Hillside High students bring guns to school
Both students were taken into custody and each was charged with one count of possession of a stolen firearm and one count of possession of a weapon on educational property.
Posted — UpdatedBoth students were taken into custody and each was charged with:
- One count of possession of a stolen firearm
- One count of possession of a weapon on educational property
On Thursday, Durham Public Schools (DPS) security staff notified the sheriff’s office of the possibility that a student was planning to bring a weapon to campus. Staff identified the student on Thursday morning upon arrival, the sheriff’s office said.
Both students were caught thanks to an anonymous tip line organized by DPS. School Resource Officers knew to be on the watch for both students thanks to the notification.
"This time we were able to keep something bad from happening," DPS spokesperson Chip Sudderth. "There was never any resistance, never any incident."
Schools resource officers questioned the student and discovered the student was in possession of a handgun.
During the investigation, authorities discovered a second student, who also bought a weapon on school grounds.
“I want to thank Dr. William Logan, the principal of Hillside High School, and his staff for their efforts to work with my SROs to bring this incident to a quick and safe conclusion,” said Durham County Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead in a news release. “In this instance, the system worked as it is supposed to. Someone saw or heard about a potential threat and spoke up.”
Both students will be suspended for 365 days.
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