STATESVILLE, N.C. — Two children were charged Tuesday after an elementary school student was shot with a pellet gun on a Statesville school bus, authorities say.
The school bus driver was made aware of the incident after a student said she believed she had been shot by a pellet gun as the bus was pulling into Third Creek Elementary School. The driver immediately notified the school administration.
The school resource officer (SRO) responded to the elementary school to assist in the investigation. Two boys were detained by the school administration and the SRO.
An investigation was conducted along with the pellet gun being located and secured. The victim and the two boys were interviewed about the incident.
According to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, the two male juveniles will be charged with misdemeanor weapons on campus or other educational property and misdemeanor assault.
Deputies say the charges will be forwarded to Juvenile Services. School officials are following Iredell-Statesville School Policy in reference to disciplinary actions to the students.
“This is an example of just how quickly, and easily a weapon of any kind can show up on the steps of our elementary schools. Fortunately, the response time of our SRO was mere seconds,” Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said. “Having the School Resource Officers on campus is paramount to school safety. Thankfully in this case, the bus driver, school administrators, and the SRO worked together to quickly stop this incident.”
