Jamichael Montrell Hicks, Chester high school student arrested for carrying gun on school grounds leads to teacher insisting he is well intentioned, with big dreams, describing the incident as a ‘cry for help.’
South Carolina authorities have arrested an 18 year old high school student amid concerns he have been preparing for a school shooting after he was discovered with a loaded gun on campus along with authorities also finding ammunition stashed in a bathroom.
Jamichael Montrell Hicks, 18, was arrested early Tuesday morning by a School Resource Officer (SCO) after the loaded gun was found inside his vehicle, which was parked on the grounds of Chester High School.
Soon after arresting Hicks, the officer was informed of a firearm magazine, or ammunition storage, inside a restroom.
A cry for help?
Notice of the discovery led to officials placing the school on a ‘Hold Protocol’ – when everyone is told to stay put in the building until given the all clear. Sheriff’s deputies then arrived at the scene for additional security, QC News reported.
Following an ‘extensive search,’ no other guns or magazines were found, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook release.
Police also said there is currently ‘no indication’ the two incidents – finding a gun in Hicks vehicle and the notification about ammunition in the restroom – are connected.
The department said that Hicks violated South Carolina Code of Laws Section 16-23-420A.
The law says it is unlawful for a person to possess a firearm of any kind on a property owned, operated or controlled by a public or private school, university, college, technical college, post-secondary institution, or any publicly owned building, according to the South Carolina Legislature.
Hicks was arrested for carrying a weapon on school grounds and was taken to Chester County Detention Center where he continues to remain, WSOC-TV reported.
Commentators on social media described Hicks as a ‘good person,’ and one of the ‘sweetest guys one could ever know,’ who likely forgot to leave the weapon at home. Carry and conceal is legal in South Carolina.
Wrote one commentator, ‘This baby just lost his brother to gun violence. He is scared.’
Posted another purporting to the suspect’s school teacher, ‘Mike is my student, and I’ve seen his dedication firsthand. It’s possible he simply forgot to remove or secure the firearm in his car, not out of bad intent, but an honest mistake. He is a respectful young man with big dreams. I hope people leaving comments here show understanding for this kid as a cry for help.’
The teen’s arrest, follows school authorities finding a gun at the high school in September. The discovery led to Chester High School being placed on hold protocol, WCNC reported at the time.
The protocol was then lifted and the normal school day continued on.
A lot of law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, but police said there was no immediate danger to the students.
Details as to where the gun was found or if anyone faced charges for the incident have not been made clear.
Gun violence at US schools rapid rise
In October, students in Chester County took it upon themselves to stand up for gun violence.
The number of children killed by guns in the US has risen by 85 percent in the last decade as school shootings rose year-by-year, according to newly released data.
Preliminary tallies by the Gun Violence Archive found 1,419 children and teenagers were killed by guns last year, nearly double the 765 deaths recorded in 2014.
Youth gun deaths reached a 10-year high in 2022 with 1,694 children and teens dying from guns.
There were at least 83 school shootings in the United States last year, according to a CNN analysis of events reported by the GVA.
This reflected a spike of 130 percent from 2014’s figures, and climbed from 2023’s tally of 82 events, and 80 the year before.
Shootings were defined as incidents on school property with at least one person shot, not including the shooter. The government does not track school shootings.
