Police question student who brought long gun to Monroe high school
An 18-year-old Union County high school student was taken into custody for questioning after a principal spotted a long gun in his truck before classes on Wednesday morning.
Authorities said the student arrived in a drop-off lane at the school with the gun in the truck he was driving and sped away after the principal saw the gun. No shots were fired.
Sun Valley High School in Monroe and nearby schools were placed on a brief security lockdown on Wednesday morning as officers from multiple departments searched for the student and his black Ram truck, according to Tony Underwood with the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
It wasn’t immediately known if the student took the gun to the campus on purpose, Underwood said, but no threats were made, and no one was hurt.
School administrators noticed the student passing other cars in the student drop-off line of vehicles outside the school earlier in the morning, according to Underwood. When the principal started to talk with the student and saw the gun, the student drove over a curb and sped away, Underwood said.
Officers later stopped the student in his truck at the Union-Mecklenburg county line, according to Underwood. The student was being questioned by police around 10 a.m. and no charges had been announced, Underwood said.
Observer news partner WBTV reported the school locked students safely in classrooms during the lockdown, which lasted at least 45 minutes. The school also told parents of the lockdown on Wednesday morning and said dismissal time would not change due to the incident.
This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 10:15 AM.