Students questioned after social media post shows rifle on school property
By MINDY LUCAS
Two Beaufort County schools were placed on lockdown and two students were questioned after a suspicious social media post involving a rifle had authorities scrambling on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
The post, which showed a hunting rifle and was captioned “at school with it,” led investigators with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office to two students at Battery Creek High School, according to an alert issued by the sheriff’s office on Wednesday.
There the investigators found a hunting rifle, in the pickup truck of one of the students, the alert stated. It is against state law to bring a firearm/weapon on school property.
As the investigation unfolded Wednesday morning, two Beaufort schools – Beaufort Middle School and Mossy Oaks Elementary – were placed on modified lockdown as instructed by law enforcement, Beaufort County School District spokesman Jim Foster said.
It was thought that one of the students connected to the post might attend Beaufort Middle School. Since Mossy Oaks is across the street from Beaufort Middle, that school was also placed on modified lockdown as a precaution, Foster said.
Modified lockdown generally means that classroom instruction may continue but movement between classrooms is closely monitored and any students outside are brought in, Foster explained. Full lockdown is when doors to classrooms are barricaded and more stringent security measures are taken.
Wednesday’s lockdown was lifted within minutes after it was initiated once the students in question were found at Battery Creek. Both students attend the high school.
There is no indication that the student with the rifle in his truck had any intention of harming students or staff, the alert stated.
Criminal charges are possible and the sheriff’s department is continuing to investigate.
