Fact check: Teen arrested in Georgia high school gun incident wasn't a student
The claim: A student with three guns was caught at a Georgia high school
With school shootings spiking around the nation, a social media post claimed a Georgia high school student was found with several guns on campus.
“If you got kids at Westside high school check on your kids they say a student just got caught wit 3 guns,” reads the Nov. 16 Facebook post that was shared nearly 200 times in two days.
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Though there was an incident involving a gun on school grounds in Macon, Georgia, that day, a district spokesperson said the teenager arrested in connection with the crime was not a student there. And officials said it involved one gun, not three.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment.
Teen accused of bringing gun on school grounds wasn't a student
Stephanie Hartley, a spokesperson for the Bibb County School District, told USA TODAY the Facebook post has “absolutely no factual basis.” She noted that the district had also commented on the post, describing it as “misinformation.”
There was an incident involving a single gun on the campus that day, but Hartley said the individual arrested was not a student at the school or within the district.
The incident started around dismissal time on Nov. 16, when a campus police officer spotted a gun in one of the vehicles in the carpool lane. When they approached the vehicle, a suspect later identified as 17-year-old Zyon Hardwick fled with the weapon and headed into the woods, Hartley said.
The campus went on lockdown as a search began. Hardwick was arrested after a manhunt lasting more than four hours, as reported by news outlets including WGXA and 13 WMAZ.
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Online records from the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center show Hardwick was charged with carrying a weapon on school property, criminal street gang activity and possession of a pistol or revolver by a minor.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim a student with three guns was caught at a Georgia high school. A 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of bringing a gun onto school property on Nov. 16, but a district spokesperson told USA TODAY he is not a student at the school or within the district. Officials said the teen had one gun, not three.
Our fact-check sources:
Bibb County Law Enforcement Center, accessed Nov. 19, Inmate Information
Bibb County Sheriff's Office, Nov. 17, Facebook post
13WMAZ, Nov. 16, Investigators capture man after on-campus chase near Westside High School in Macon
41 NBC, Nov. 16, Westside High School to conduct asynchronous learning Thursday and Friday
Dan Sims, Nov. 16, Facebook post
WGXA, Nov. 16, BSO: Suspect caught after hours-long manuhnt following gun on Macon school campus
WGXA, Nov. 1, 2018, Westside High student brings gun to school, hides weapon in clothing
WGXA, Sept. 7, 2018, Westside HS student detained after gun found in backpack
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim student was involved in GA school gun incident
