Lieutenant Laura Rutland of the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office released the following press release regarding an incident at Colleton County High School:
On October 14, 2026, at approximately 8:45 a.m., deputies with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office responded to Colleton County High School after the School Resource Officer (SRO) supervisor received reports of a student allegedly possessing a firearm on campus.
The reports followed the circulation of a video depicting a student pulling a handgun equipped with an extended magazine from inside his jacket. Deputies immediately responded to the school, where the principal identified the student shown in the video. The 15-year-old student was subsequently located and detained.
During the investigation, the student stated that the video had been recorded inside the school’s field house. Detectives confirmed that the video was recorded in the field house and determined that the student did not enter the main school building. The student also stated that he had placed the firearm inside a vehicle in the student parking lot.
The firearm, identified as a 9mm handgun equipped with an extended magazine, was recovered from an unlocked vehicle in the student parking lot. Detectives determined that the vehicle was not associated with the student.
Thanks to the rapid response of deputies and the school administration’s prompt identification of the student, the juvenile was located and detained before a lockdown was initiated.
The 15-year-old juvenile was charged with the following offenses and transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia:
The case remains under active investigation, including efforts to determine how the juvenile came into possession of the firearm. Additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation continues.
The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office appreciates the school administration’s prompt response and cooperation in helping deputies address this incident.
