Enloe High School student arrested after bringing gun to school

Willie Harvey Witherspoon, 16, of Raleigh is charged with possessing a gun on educational property.

Enloe High Principal Will Chavis sent an email Thursday afternoon informing parents and students about of the incident.

"One of our administrators was made aware that there might be a reason to search one of our students. During the search, a gun was found. Ammunition was found separately from the gun," Chavis said in the email.

The school contacted Wake County Public School System security and the school's resource officer, who retrieved the gun.

No students saw the gun, and the school day's schedule was not impacted, authorities said. Officials said the school was not placed on lockdown after the incident.

Raleigh police arrested the student, who was automatically suspended for 365 days.

"We will continue to take every measure to ensure the safety of our students," Chavis said.

Tim Newton, whose son is a junior at Enloe High, said he was shaken in disbelief from the event.

"You have to worry about them being safe," he said. "It's just baffling and the last thing you expect."

Enloe High parent Jeff Lipack said he is pleased by how the school handled the incident.

"In today's environment, things are happening pretty fast," Lipack said. "You don't know what could happen. We just saw what happened the other day in Kentucky. So I'm glad they handled this fast and the way they did."

Witherspoon posted bond Friday and was released from jail into his family's custody. He has been banned from the Enloe High campus as a condition of his bond.