Authorities are searching for a Watson Chapel Junior High School freshman who allegedly took a gun on campus after the conclusion of school Wednesday.
The student was seen on campus about 4:30 p.m., Watson Chapel School District Superintendent Andrew Curry said in a statement. School officials learned about the reported incident after the male suspect posted about it on social media that evening, he added.
Curry told The Commercial that the youth and another student reportedly argued over a girl and met on campus after school. He said the youth met with classmates at a McDonald's restaurant before he drove them to the campus to meet with the other student, but it is not clear whether the suspect pointed a gun or what role the other students played in the incident.
It is also not clear how the other student made it back to campus, Curry said.
"WCSD is investigating these incidents and has also notified the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office," Curry wrote in the statement. "The student was not present on campus today, January 27, 2022. The metal detectors were in operation [Wednesday], and the district has no reason to believe the student was in possession of the weapon on campus during school hours or at any other time prior to the incident that occurred around 4:30 p.m."
Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. said he was alerted Thursday morning about the incident but could not comment extensively on the investigation.
"We're still in the early stages of the investigation trying to put together a PC [probable-cause affidavit] and formalize an arrest warrant," Woods said Thursday evening. "I can't confirm they have finalized the PC."
The suspect has been suspended from school with the possibility of facing an expulsion, Curry said. A canine officer was on campus Thursday in response to the incident, and Jefferson County sheriff's deputies will patrol the school today.
The other student reportedly involved is not believed to have broken any school policies, Curry said.
Watson Chapel Junior High was the scene of an on-campus shooting March 1 of last year that claimed the life of freshman Daylon Burnett, 15. Thomas Quarles, whom authorities said was a classmate, has been charged as an adult with capital murder in that instance.
On Aug. 17, the second day of this school year, two Watson Chapel High School students were arrested on suspicion of firearm and drug possession. One of the students was expelled in September, and the other was booked into juvenile detention on the charges.
Curry said school officials will reiterate the consequences of possessing a weapon on campus to students.