‘More than a school issue.’ 5 teens charged with weapon possession on school grounds at Hopewell High School

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Five minors are in custody after two guns were recovered from Hopewell High School in Huntersville, the school confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

School principal Tracey Pickard sent a message to families and students saying the school was placed on lockdown and that many students were dismissed late during the investigation.

According to police, officers responded to the school around 12:30 p.m. to assist the School Resource Officer with a fight that had just happened. A loaded Phoenix Arms .22 pistol fell to the ground and was picked up by another student.

Officers used security cameras to identify the students involved.

They say the fight was retaliation after an alleged common law robbery took place earlier.

Report: Weapons found in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

During school dismissal, a bus driver saw two students with a gun, which was also taken away by police. That gun was a Glock Model 34 9mm pistol.

Both guns were reported stolen.

Police said the five in custody are all 17 years old and were charged with possession of weapon on school grounds. They were taken to the Mecklenburg County Juvenile Detention Center without incident.

Police say they also charged a sixth student, but it was with assault through the Department of Juvenile Justice and no physical arrest was made.

Pickard said there were no threats made in either incident.

“No threat was made in either incident, and all students and staff were safe, but dismissal was delayed for some of our students,” Pickard said.

Pickard encouraged parents to talk with their children about bringing weapons to school.

“Please speak with your students about the serious consequences of bringing any weapon to school. It is a violation of law and the CMS Code of Student Conduct,” Pickard said.

Dee Rankin is a community leader. He’s also the father of two daughters who attend Hopewell High School.

“This is more than a school issue; this is a community issue. As we know, there is a gun problem not only in Charlotte but nationwide, there is a gun problem,” he said.

“I want any young person if they feel they need to possess a gun especially on a school campus that...that one decision can affect you for the rest of your life and can follow you for the rest of your life,” Rankin said. “Now, it’s up to us as parents and the community to figure out how we can prevent our kids from even getting these guns.”

This is the 15th gun seized from a Charlotte-Mecklenburg School this school year.

A gun was recently confiscated at South Mecklenburg High School on Tuesday, Oct. 26.

CMS Superintendent Earnest Winston released the following statement:

“I am concerned and I know I’m not alone. Guns are coming into our schools from homes and our streets. We must address this problem, but also the underlying issues that are leading to school-age adolescents getting access to guns in the first place. That is a conversation that involves CMS, but it must be broader than that. We cannot come at this alone. I am asking my counterparts in local municipal government and local law enforcement leadership to join me for the first of what might need to be a series of discussions. We must get guns out of young people’s hands. When our community rises to that challenge, our schools will be able to focus on our mission of educating students.”

A Town Hall meeting is being planned for Hopewell parents on Wednesday, Nov. 17, at Lake Forest Church at 7 p.m.

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