School placed on lockdown after student fires gun in Wake County classroom, no injuries reported

FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. (WBTV) - A Wake County middle school was placed on lockdown on Thursday morning after a juvenile suspect discharged a gun on campus, officials said.

According to an update provided by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement received a call for service at Fuquay-Varina Middle School around 8:03 a.m.

Once at the scene, deputies discovered that a juvenile had brought a gun to school and fired it.

A letter from the school said that the suspect, who was identified as a student, fired the weapon at a classroom window. After the shot was fired, an assistant principal obtained and unloaded the weapon. A school resource officer (SRO) was also present.

The letter also contained the following statements:

“We are especially grateful for the quick actions of the teacher and assistant principal today to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We are also grateful to the Fuquay-Varina Police Department, Wake County Sheriff’s Office and our security team for their swift response.

We appreciate the manner in which all staff and students responded to the community lockdown.

We are working with local and state law enforcement, our security team, and other agencies to conduct a full investigation regarding this incident. We will be transparent in our findings.

Having a weapon on a school campus is a very serious offense. While we are not allowed to discuss disciplinary action for an individual student, we can note that state law requires a 365 day suspension of any student in possession of a firearm.”

Officials said that a preliminary investigation revealed that the threat was not directed at any students or staff and that no injuries occurred.

The school was placed on lockdown for a short period of time until students could be safely released to parents for an early dismissal.

Student Support Services teams have been made available to provide assistance.

Authorities said the incident appears to have been isolated, and there are no further threats.

The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate the incident, along with the Wake County Public School system.

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