A student managed to get gun into a Myrtle Beach middle school in a ‘see-through book bag’
A Myrtle Beach Middle School student who brought a gun and ammunition into the school did so in a see-through bag, went through a metal detector and showed it to other students before the school realized there was a gun in the building, according to an email from Horry County Schools Superintendent Rick Maxey.
On Feb. 6, Myrtle Beach Middle School reported a student had brought a firearm to school after the School Resource Officer noticed the student wasn’t following normal procedures, The Sun News reported.
That student is facing criminal charges and expulsion of at least one year, according to the school system’s email. The criminal charges are pointing and presenting a firearm, carrying or displaying a weapon in a public building and carrying weapons on school property. All three charges are felonies.
The school was tipped off about the firearm after a student found a bullet in the bathroom and reported it to administration, according to the police report. Administration told the SRO who began investigating. At the same time, administration noticed the student acting “strangely.”
While walking in the school, two bullets allegedly fell out of the student’s pants. This prompted the school to search him and his backpack to find the firearm and loaded magazine, the police report stated.
The email from Maxey said the school did a random search process that morning, which is used throughout the district, but the student’s bag was not chosen for a random search that day and he made it through the metal detector.
The student had told other students about his intent to bring a gun to school and then showed it to his peers that morning. Those students are facing “disciplinary consequences” for not alerting staff that another student had brought a gun into the school.
“A concerning element of this incident was that the student showed the gun to several students that morning,” Maxey said in the email statement. “These students were also aware of his intent to bring a weapon onto campus prior to Tuesday, February 6. Not one of them came forward to alert a school staff member or the SRO.”
No one was hurt in the incident. Myrtle Beach Police responded to the school.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department was notified a student had brought a firearm and a loaded magazine by the SRO around 8 a.m., according to the police report.
Maxey said he has requested funding for security staff to perform daily searches throughout the school day. The Horry County School Board approved $15 million for security measures for the 2023-2024 school year and another $4 million annually for the schools to provide security upgrades.
