Police investigate report of gun at Charlotte-Mecklenburg school bus stop
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Guns found in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
In the first few months of the 2021-22 school year, CMS has set a concerning new record for guns being brought to campuses.
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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story described the adult involved incorrectly. A school district spokesperson first identified the woman on Thursday night as a student’s mother but later corrected that information on Friday afternoon after the Observer published this story. The story has been updated below.
Amid a fight involving two students on a school bus, a woman reportedly brought a gun to a bus stop on Thursday afternoon, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg School officials.
The altercation happened as a bus from Whitewater Middle School arrived at one of the students’ stop, in a neighborhood off Sam Wilson Road in west Charlotte. According to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department report, the incident occurred at Buckvalley and Pleasant Dale drives and police were called around 6 p.m.
Late Thursday in an email to CMS board members, Patrick Smith, assistant superintendent of communications for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, said the bus was around half full and it was believed that one of the students’ moms boarded the bus in an attempt to “get to the other student.” On Friday, Smith told the Observer details remain under investigation by police, and the adult involved may not be the mother of a CMS student.
No injuries were reported. The CMPD report says the incident is under investigation but does not give the woman’s name. She has not been charged. According to Smith, she boarded the bus initially, then left, then returned with a gun.
According to the police report, no arrests have been made and it was reported as a “non-criminal incident.”
The incident comes at a time when a growing number of guns and weapons found on CMS campuses has left parents and teachers worried about school safety.
In the first three months of the current school year, the district has already surpassed its previous 10-year high for the amount of guns on campuses. From the start of school in August to Dec. 13, 2021, a total of 23 guns have been found in CMS.
Last month, CMS Superintendent Earnest Winston begged parents to have the “tough conversations” with their children about guns, other weapons and fights.
Smith said Whitewater Middle Principal Jessica Savage notified families of students on the bus, and counseling was made available to students and the driver.
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 1:11 PM.
