Two days prior to a deadly shooting near Hillside High School in Durham, in which one student was killed and another injured, school officials say they discovered an unloaded gun at the school.
The tragic shooting on Wednesday was followed up with another day of fear on Thursday, when Hillside High School was on "secure status" while Durham police officers and sheriff's deputies searched the woods near the school after getting an anonymous tip about weapons hidden there.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Hillside principal Dr. William Logan sent a message to Hillside families on Monday, Feb. 6, letting them know that, in the process of resolving a dispute between students that day, school administration and a school resource officer conducted a lawful search of a student’s book bag and found an unloaded weapon.
This was just two days before the deadly shooting near the school, and three days ahead of the tip about guns in the woods.
Logan emphasized Hillside’s vigilance to ensure safety and security at school and encouraged parent involvement.
Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead told WRAL News on Thursday that he'd like to see metal detectors in every school in the county.
"DPS (Durham Public Schools) has to do their part and harden the infrastructure," he said. "We've had the conversation about metal detectors. I think they would be value-added if we used metal detectors."
Although the tragic shooting happened off-campus, Birkhead said he had concerns the gun had been on campus that day, which he said was concerning.