Tanglewood Middle School student charged after firearm found in backpack
A 15-year-old Tanglewood Middle School student was charged after an unloaded, stolen firearm was found in their backpack, police say.
According to an email from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday morning, the school resource officer at Tanglewood Middle was notified that school administrators received an anonymous "See Something, Say Something" tip stating a student had a gun.
Deputies and school staff located the student and found an unloaded, stolen handgun in their possession, according to Lt. Ryan Flood with the GCSO. Deputies did not have any information on whether any threats were made or have a motive for why the student had the weapon. The teenager was charged with possessing a firearm on school grounds and will be transported to the juvenile detention facility in Columbia.
“While I’m saddened to hear a child felt the need to possess of a gun at school, I am thankful for the swift and collaborative actions taken by the community for calling in with the tip, the school staff for their outstanding communication and the deputies for quickly taking action to ensure the safety of our children,” GCSO Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in Thursday’s email.
According to an email sent by Greenville County Schools spokesperson Tim Waller, the student will be recommended for expulsion in accordance with the district’s behavior code.
"This was a prime example of the effectiveness of our 'See Something, Say Something' protocol where students are encouraged to tell a trusted adult when they see something that could put other students in danger," Waller said.
In March 2022, a 12-year-old student, Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson, was shot and killed by another then 12-year-old student at Tanglewood Middle. A waiver hearing on whether the juvenile charged with Jackon’s murder, now 14, will be tried as an adult was held in Dec. 2023. A decision has yet to be announced.
Waller said as an additional precaution, all students go through an EVOLV weapons detection system. The EVOLV detection system is a weapon detector that uses AI motion sensors to screen people as they walk inside the building. The school district purchased the system after the fatal shooting and began using it at the beginning of 2022, but Waller said they were in the process of purchasing it before the shooting occurred.
"This situation is uniquely different from what happened at Tanglewood Middle School two years ago. Each situation regardless of where it occurs, is uniquely different from others," Waller said. "There are no two situations that are exactly alike. I don't think this happening today is indicative of any underlying problem with a particular school."
Terry Benjamin II covers public safety and breaking news for The Greenville News and can be reached at tbenjamin@gannett.com or on X @Terrybenji2.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Tanglewood Middle student charged after gun found in backpack
