A teenage boy was arrested at a South Carolina school after he was found with a loaded firearm on campus.
Jamichael Montrell Hicks, 18, was arrested early Tuesday morning by a School Resource Officer (SCO) after the loaded gun was found inside his vehicle, which was parked on the grounds of Chester High School.
Soon after arresting Hicks, the officer was informed of a firearm magazine, or ammunition storage, inside a restroom.
The school was then placed on a Hold Protocol – when everyone is told to stay put in the building until given the all clear. Sheriff’s deputies then arrived at the scene for additional security.
Following an ‘extensive search,’ no other guns or magazines were found, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office said.
Police also said there is currently ‘no indication’ the two incidents – finding a gun in Hicks vehicle and the notification about ammunition in the restroom – are connected.
The department said that Hicks violated South Carolina Code of Laws Section 16-23-420A.
The law says it is unlawful for a person to possess a firearm of any kind on a property owned, operated or controlled by a public or private school, university, college, technical college, post-secondary institution, or any publicly owned building, according to the South Carolina Legislature.
Jamichael Montrell Hicks, 18, was arrested early Tuesday morning by a School Resource Officer (SCO) after a loaded gun was found inside his vehicle parked at Chester High School
Soon after arresting Hicks, the officer was informed of a firearm magazine, or ammunition storage, inside a restroom at the school (pictured)
Hicks was arrested for carrying a weapon on school grounds and was taken to Chester County Detention Center.
According to jail records, reviewed by DailyMail.com, he is still in custody.
DailyMail.com contacted the Chester County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
In September, a gun was found at Chester High School, prompting another hold protocol, WCNC reported at the time.
The protocol was then lifted and the normal school day continued on.
A lot of law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, but police said there was no immediate danger to the students.
Details as to where the gun was found or if anyone faced charges for the incident have not been made clear.
In October, students in Chester County took it upon themselves to stand up for gun violence.
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Hundreds of students, staff and law enforcement officers gathered in the auditorium at Chester Middle School to talk about how to fight against the pressing issue.
‘We’re here to support them and help them to diffuse things before it evolves into something that involves these weapons,’ Chester County School District Superintendent Antwon Sutton told WSOC-TV.
The number of children killed by guns in the US has risen by 85 percent in the last decade as school shootings rose year-by-year, according to newly released data.
Preliminary tallies by the Gun Violence Archive found 1,419 children and teenagers were killed by guns last year, nearly double the 765 deaths recorded in 2014.
Youth gun deaths reached a 10-year high in 2022 with 1,694 children and teens dying from guns.
There were at least 83 school shootings in the United States last year, according to a CNN analysis of events reported by the GVA.
This reflected a spike of 130 percent from 2014’s figures, and climbed from 2023’s tally of 82 events, and 80 the year before.
Shootings were defined as incidents on school property with at least one person shot, not including the shooter. The government does not track school shootings.
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By the same definition of a shooting, there were 18, 22, 13, 15 and 13 attacks in schools in the years 2008 through 2012, inclusive.
Washington DC has seen the highest rate of shootings since 2008, with six in total or one per 100,000 people.
Texas had the most shootings overall, at 61.
The Gun Violence Archive separately brought together comparative data on the number of children killed by guns in the US.
A total of 1,419 young people were killed by gun violence last year alone, up 85 percent from the 765 recorded in 2014. The data is still subject to change.
As many as 248 children aged 0-11 were killed by gun violence, while 547 were injured.
