Pellet gun found inside Raleigh middle school led to hours-long lockdown
A code red lockdown was in place for close to three hours Tuesday at River Oaks Middle School after a student reported another student had a weapon.
After an extensive search of the campus Tuesday morning, police found a pellet gun. The school returned to a code green around noon.
The school, at 4700 New Bern Ave., sent a message to parents at 9:55 a.m. to notify them the school was being searched for a possible weapon and that all students were safe.
Dennis Callix, who had a 12-year-old inside, said he rushed to the school.
"We got a call saying there was a code red lockdown. I left work and rushed over here as soon as I could," he said. "It's scary ... I got out of my car, asking around, and no one knows anything. I just want to take him home right now, grab him and go home."
According to the school, at 8:45 a.m. a student reported to administrators that another student had a weapon. The school immediately called the police and went on a code red lockdown, which means students are unable to leave their classrooms, and no one can enter or exit the building.
WRAL News arrived before 11 a.m. to find more than 12 police cars in the parking lot. Police at 11 a.m. said the school remained on a code red lockdown, reiterating students were safe and no one was injured.
Police eventaully identified and isolated several students who they said were passing around the pellet gun.
"It makes me feel they don’t know the difference between an air gun and hand gun," Callix said. "It's just scary."
Police and the Wake County Public School System will conduct a full investigation regarding this incident, and police said responsible students will be disciplined in accordance with WCPSS policies.
The student code of conduct allows for a 365-day suspension for students who bring a firearm on campus, but that does not apply to inoperable antique firearms, BB guns, stun guns, air rifles or air pistols.
A Wake County schools spokeswoman said there is no set length of suspension for those who bring a pellet gun to school, saying administrators consider the threat level, aggravating factors, context and history of the student or students involved to determine how to discipline them.
According to its website, River Oaks "serves at-risk students who are not experiencing adequate academic success in their base schools," including those who are failing academically or who have been retained.
Another incident was reported Tuesday at C.C. Spaulding Elementary in Durham, where the school was briefly on secure status due to threats from a parent.
