Student in custody for bringing gun to Rocky Mount High School
A student is in custody for carrying a loaded gun in their backpack Wednesday to Rocky Mount High School.
According to the Rocky Mount Police Department, the student is in custody at the Wake County Juvenile Detention Center.
A secure custody order was issued on the student for bringing a weapon onto educational property, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a handgun by a minor.
Nash County Public Schools said authorities found the gun shortly before 7 a.m. after the school’s security system flagged it.
Authorities took the student off campus after they found the gun in the student’s backpack. Investigators are working to learn why the gun was brought to campus.
Heather Louis-Finch with the school district said she is thankful the Evolv system worked Wednesday morning. While she said she knows the systems aren't completely foolproof, she believes having them in place made schools in Nash County Schools safer.
"As you know, not anything is 100% and you can not put all [of] your eggs in one basket when it comes to scenarios such as this," Louis-Finch said. "But I think it's important for everyone, all school districts and our legislature, to look at what they're doing to make sure our public schools are safe and secure."
The incident brings up a larger question about school safety systems in place for school systems.
On Monday, one student died in a double stabbing at Southeast Raleigh High School. Leaders with Wake Schools met behind closed doors later that day to discuss student safety in the wake of the stabbing.
Some students and parents in Wake County want the Evolv systems inside Wake Schools. District leaders have not publicly expressed interest in the technology.
"Definitely, I think something is better than nothing," said Connor Douglas, a student at Broughton High School. "Just having nothing is just not good enough."
It's a sentiment Louis-Finch shares.
"All high schools need to have a metal detector," she said. "And I think that all high schools should look into, 'If you see something, say something.'"
