Weapon Found on NC Campus, Officials Say

MINT HILL, N.C. – A weapon was found Thursday morning outside Rocky River High School, school officials said.

The high school was placed on lockdown after a student reported that another student might have had a weapon on campus.

Mint Hill police said the 17-year-old suspect is a student at the school.

The student was standing in the hallway in front of the main office, and as a school resource officer approached, the former student ran out of the school, authorities said.

The student ran into the parking lot and then into an area near the school where there was a large berm, police said.

Police said the officer and another school employee chased the student and took him into custody.

Officers found a small-caliber handgun near where the student was taken into custody, officials said.

The investigating is continuing and charges are pending, police said.

It’s not clear if the handgun was loaded. The teenager’s motives were not clear, police said.