By Delayna Earley
The Island News
A 16-year-old student at Battery Creek High School in Beaufort was arrested and charged after police found him with a pistol on campus just before the end of the school day on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
The male student was detained by the school resource officer around 3 p.m., before he was removed from campus and taken to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.
Officials have said that there were no threats made toward students or staff, and it is not clear how authorities became aware of the student’s possession of the firearm.
Battery Creek was placed on a “secure status,” as police responded and students were brought into the classrooms and locked the doors before they were allowed to continue with the rest of their day.
The incident did not delay students’ dismissal at the end of the day.
Weapons are not allowed on Beaufort County School District campuses at all, a point that was included in communications through text message with parents of Battery Creek High School.
“Possessing a weapon on school grounds is a serious offense that results in disciplinary and legal action,” the text said. “As a reminder, weapons of any kind are not allowed on campus. Any student found in possession of a weapon will face severe consequences, including criminal charges.”
Extra law enforcement was present on and around the campus through the end of the week “out of an abundance of caution.”
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
