Beaufort Co. middle school student referred to Family Court after gun threat, assault
A student from Whale Branch Middle School was petitioned to Family Court after making a gun threat and an altercation with his mother that turned violent, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred Sept. 7, when School Resource Officer Cpl. Mabrena Moore received reports from administrators of a male eighth grader threatening violence during the last class period of the day.
The student, who is not named in the police report because he is a minor, reportedly showed other students a picture of a gun on his phone, telling them he had just gotten the “Smith and Wesson.” He threatened to use the gun on another student, saying he “has it coming,” according to the boy’s teacher.
Moore contacted the student’s mother, who gave police permission to search the boy’s belongings. A few minutes later, Moore received another call from the boy’s mother, who said she had just been assaulted by her son.
“He just punched me in the face and is now tearing up my house,” the mother told Moore, according to the report.
By the time police arrived, the boy had left the residence. His mother told police that during a verbal dispute, her son had pushed her. After the mother slapped him in reaction, the boy punched her twice, once to her eye and once to her hand, according to the report.
Following the physical altercation, the boy’s mother locked herself in her bedroom. Not long after, the boy left the residence. He was found safe the next day, telling police he had been with his father.
The mother told police she and her son fought often, but this was the first time he got physically violent with her.
Upon searching the boy’s bedroom, police found three Winchester 12-gauge shotgun shells in the bottom drawer of his dresser. Further investigation revealed the shells belonged to a roommate, who told police he stored all firearms in a locked safe in his bedroom.
Deputies did not locate a firearm during the search of the boy’s room, according to Maj. Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The student will be petitioned to Family Court for student threats and third-degree assault and battery, according to police reports.
Per policy, the Beaufort County School District does not comment on disciplinary matters or police investigations, spokesperson Candace Bruder has said.
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 2:47 PM.
