New details on how a gun was fired in Laney High restroom

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - We now know what led to the gunfire in a Laney High School restroom that caused a lockdown and disrupted the school day Monday.

A student had brought a gun to school and was trying to unload it when it accidentally fired, the school board president told News 12 on Tuesday.

“Normally, my reaction would be, ‘Oh my God.’ Did somebody pull out a gun and start shooting students?” Richmond County Board of Education President Charlie Walker said.

“Well, after doing a little bit of digging, a student brought a gun to school for reasons unknown other than the student. Trying to disengage the shell that was in the gun, it discharged and shot a toilet in the restroom. That died down a lot of my fears: ‘Oh, my God, what are going to have to deal with?’ Not saying it’s not important or serious, but I’ll go back to: What made that student bring the gun to school and where did the gun come from?”

Law enforcement officers flooded Lucy C. Laney High School, 1339 Laney Walker Blvd., on Monday after the gun went off just before 10 a.m.

A toilet was hit in an upstairs restroom, but no one was hurt, according to authorities.

Responding officers searched students in two classrooms. One student was caught with a gun and one with a knife, according to the Richmond County School System.

Both students will be charged, authorities said.

On Monday, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office charged one student with possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a crime, weapons in school building, grounds or functions, criminal damage to property in the first degree, interference with government property and theft by receiving stolen property.

The booking photograph was not available.

Laney senior Shanard Stringer was in second period when he heard a loud bang outside class.

At first, he thought someone had just dropped something, but it seemed a little too loud to be just a textbook.

“No one took it that serious at first until we seen all the police that was pulling up outside. And that’s when we knew that there was actually something that was going down. So we just tried to stay safe and pull up in the classroom – so we don’t put ourselves in danger,” he said.

The incident led to a “soft lockdown” at Laney as two officers guarded the gate. Richmond County School System Police Chief Mantrell Wilson said movement was restricted for two hours.

Watch the video from Richmond County School System Police Department:

Nearby A.R. Johnson and Charles T. Walker magnet schools went on brief lockdowns.

The gunfire brought about a dozen patrol cars to Laney, along with an army of worried parents.

“In an instance like this our main concern is student safety first, staff safety second and then notifying the parents of those children in that school and that should happen in a fairly quick amount of time,” said Walker. “Probably not as fast as what a student is able to do with a call or text to their parent. They’re going to beat us to the punch.”

Parents were kept at bay until just after 11:15 a.m., when they streamed across the street after authorities gave the OK for them to pick up their kids.

But not before a handcuffed person could be seen being loaded into the back of a patrol car.

Officers stayed busy well into the afternoon at the school.

Between 3 and 3:30 p.m., at least two more people were brought out of the school in handcuffs and placed in patrol cars.

Parents were notified of the incident in a letter from Dr. Cordaryl Middleton, principal.

After explaining the incident, the letter went on:

“While this isolated incident has brought negative attention to our school community, it does not erase all the gains we have made this year and the milestones we are on track to achieve. We will continue being the Laney family that comes together to accomplish greatness and excel in academics and athletics.”

While the investigation is ongoing, Laney is expected to pick right back up Tuesday where second period left off.

“My top priorities to be honest, is to stay safe, and trying to get through this school year so I can graduate,” Stringer said.

“My mom was like, she wished I never came to this school but like I just told her it’s going to be OK.”

The School Board and School District have yet to meet to address anything formally, but Walker says they plan to.

“We have to re-engage in our daily conversations about it. Again, I’ll ask the question where are the guns coming from? That needs to be answered. So if they’re coming, obviously from within the community somewhere, how are they getting into school unrecognized,” said Walker.

News 12 asked about where his opinion lies with metal detectors. Walker says, “There are pros and cons. Obviously, it’s expensive to do it, but if we’ve got the funding to be able to do it, there’s a likelihood that we could. It gains more traction when as more of these incidents occur.”

He says the school board has looked into this in the past.

“I hold my own opinion and I don’t spread them across the board but stupid people are going to find a way to do stupid things regardless of the deterrents you put in place,” said Walker. “If somebody wants to get around a metal detector or a search or a double entry festival or something like that, if they’re determined enough they’ll find a way to do it. Then that goes back to the mindset of why would a student think it’s ok to bring a gun inside a school.”

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