UPDATE — Gun confiscated, minor apprehended at WCHS Tuesday

By Paul Keane

The Wayne County News

Wayne County High School was put on lockdown Tuesday and a gun was discovered in a book bag after officials learned about the weekend shooting events around the county.

At around 8 a.m. Tuesday, the high school was put on lockdown and campus police detained a student who was carrying a gun in a back pack. The action was taken after a verbal altercation occurred. School officials were alerted to the potential of an incident after learning about Sunday's shooting incidents (see story on Page 1A). Superintendent of Education Tommy Branch said a weapon was discovered in a book bag that was in the foyer of the high school, and the alleged suspect was immediately removed from campus and taken to Youth Court authorities.

WCHS Supervising Principal Robert "Bubba" Hathorn said in a statement to media that a verbal altercation started the incident. Staff members alerted campus police officers, who arrived on the scene within seconds. The gun was confiscated then and was the student detained and taken to the proper officials.

The suspect is a minor and the name was not being released.

Some reports were that the incident at the school was related to Sunday's shooting incidents. Sheriff Jody Ashley said that until shell casings come back from the Mississippi Crime Lab, he could not confirm those reports.

Branch said he and officials at the high school would have taken the additional security steps on Monday had they been made aware of the Sunday shooting incidents.

“We have trained, certified and qualified law enforcement on our staff and they could have addressed this earlier had we known," he said. "We are mainly involved with each campus within the district. We need communication and cooperation from law enforcement and the court system so that we know what is going on in the community.”

Metal detectors are in place at WCHS and an updated security plan was put in place about this time last year after an incident inside War Eagle Gymnasium.

“We have put in measures and want to ensure that every campus is safe and secure for all students and staff,” Branch said. “If we can work with local law enforcement and the courts so that information is shared, that will further enhance our ability to keep our schools safe for everyone.”