On a day when a more advanced security system arrived but hours before it was installed, the Kingstree High School west campus was put on a lockdown briefly on the morning of Nov. 1 when a student was arrested after bringing a stolen, loaded handgun to the school.
The student was arrested at approximately 10:30 a.m. by Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office deputies. The student is 16 years old, according to the incident report obtained from the sheriff’s office.
The school resource officer, deputy Gregory Palmer, indicated in the incident report that he was advised that a student was possibly in possession of a firearm on school property. On one of the school’s surveillance cameras, Palmer observed the student enter and exit a restroom. Palmer went to the student’s classroom and took him to the principal’s office.
“The subject was asked if he had anything on him that he was not supposed to have and he voluntarily removed a loaded magazine from his front left pocket,” Palmer wrote in the incidental report. “The subject was handcuffed and detained, and because of Probable Cause, the subject’s person was checked and this deputy located a handle of a weapon concealed in the front of the subject’s pants.”
The weapon contained another loaded magazine, Palmer wrote.
The weapon was a 9mm Luger, a semiautomatic weapon, according to the incidental report. The student was carrying 24 rounds of Sig Luger 9mm ammunition and three rounds of WIN Luger 9mm ammunition.
Palmer notified central dispatch and the shift supervisor, and Principal Bonita Glover placed the school on a lockdown.
The student resisted Palmer’s efforts to leave the office peacefully. Palmer called for backup. After a brief struggle, the student was taken down to the floor and removed from the school.
The student was sent to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia,
The student was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on school property, possession of a stolen weapon, threatening the life of a public official and simple assault and battery. Glover was listed as one of the victims of third-degree assault and battery.
All students were safe, the district said, and the school returned to a normal school day.
“Everyone did an outstanding job,” Williamsburg County Sheriff Stephen Gardner said. “You never know what you're going to find with these school scenarios. If you manage to keep it under control, you’ve got to walk feeling all right knowing that nobody got hurt.”
The incident called into question new security measures that were coming to district schools. At its Sept. 26 meeting, the Williamsburg County School District board heard about how metal detectors were going to be supplemented by so-called weapon detectors. The state-of-the-art equipment spots concealed weapons and other threats using advanced digital sensors and artificial intelligence.
Gardner said on Nov. 1 that he was told the new detectors were going to be installed later in the day and they were going to be operating on the morning of Nov. 2. WCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Kelvin Wymbs confirmed this information.
“It is so ironic how this happens,” Gardner said.
Dr. Brian McKnight, the district’s director of student services, told the board in September that the district had purchased six of these advanced detectors and was putting two at Kingstree High School, two at Hemingway High School and one at each middle school in the county.
Wireless tablets are connected to the detectors, which are similar to the technology used in airports. Cameras also are utilized.
“I'm telling you, that's some kind of technology,” Gardner said.
Just the presence of the detector might stop a student from trying to come inside the school with a gun, the sheriff said.
“If it does those things that they say it does, I think it would definitely deter something like that,” he said.
On Nov. 1, Glover posted a letter to parents on the district’s Facebook page.
“This letter is to inform you that one of our students brought a gun to school today,” Glover wrote. “Our school is committed to the safety and education of all our students. We also want to clearly communicate with parents about safety issues when they arise.
“The office received information about the aforementioned incident this morning. The student was immediately questioned, the gun was confiscated, and the student was placed in custody.
“The superintendent’s office and local law enforcement were notified. This is a violation of the law; criminal charges will be brought in addition to school-imposed disciplinary measures. The student involved will be subject to school board policy and appropriate laws that govern weapons on school grounds.
“Please discuss this incident with your children and emphasize that it is against the law to bring weapons of any type to school. Also, please emphasize the importance of telling you or a staff member if there is a weapon at school. In this way, we are all working together to keep out school safe.”