Ecstasy pills, handgun and ammo found at South View High School

Ecstasy pills, ammunition and a handgun were found Wednesday on campus at South View High School in Hope Mills.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said staff at Pine Forest High School got word of someone with a weapon at South View. The school went into a lockdown shortly afterwards while authorities investigated.

At first, some students said they were unsure of what was going on when the lockdown went into effect.

"There was a lot going on," Elijah Atherton said. "A lot of rumors going on about it."

The school resource officer at South View found ammunition and a plastic bag with blue ecstasy pills in a student's backpack. Later, a black .45-caliber handgun was found on campus.

The age of the student was not provided.

Detectives filed a juvenile petition for possession of a firearm on educational property, possession of a schedule 1 controlled substance and altering or removing a gun serial number.

Seth DiSanto, a security expert with Lockdown International, said the school did what it was supposed to do during the lockdown.

"[The lockdown] allowed the school to have immediate access to law enforcement," he explained. "They knew who to contact, how to contact them and the law enforcement set up that chain of command."

A spokesperson with Cumberland County Schools provided WRAL News with the following statement:

"Thanks to the quick actions of students, staff, and law enforcement, the situation was resolved without any harm to students or staff. We take the safety of our students and staff very seriously. While I cannot share additional details due to student privacy laws, I can confirm that we have taken the appropriate action and will continue to do so in collaboration with law enforcement. Out of an abundance of caution, the school transitioned from a Code Red to a Code Yellow status for the remainder of the day."

The student is in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.