Student who brought gun to Clayton HS to be charged as an adult

Friday, May 13, 2016
Student brought gun to Clayton school
Anthony Jenkins

CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- The student who had a gun at Clayton High School Friday morning has been arrested and charged as an adult for bringing a weapon to school.

Students at Clayton High alerted administrators that Anthony Jenkins had a gun.

According to the district, school resource officers responded and found the gun in the the 16-year-old's backpack.

Jenkins was immediately taken in to custody. ABC11 talked to students who say the 9th grader was showing off what appeared to be a small-caliber handgun.

"My friend says that she was threatened with the gun during power break, and said the kid had the clip in his hand," stated Bryce Graves, a freshman at Clayton High.

Students say the gun's clip was loaded, but a district spokeswoman says that is still under investigation and there are no reports of any students being threatened.

"My friend said that [Jenkins] thought it was cool to bring a gun and show everybody," Graves relayed.

The school district said authorities are investigating where the gun came from, and how Jenkins got his hands on it.

Concerned parents like Kevin Graves said they were notified instantly.

"My son sent me a text 10 to 15 minutes before the school notified us, so I would say they were on top of it. It was only 10 to 15 minutes behind the students telling us," Graves explained.

"They were prompt. They were honest and they let parents know right away what was going on," said parent Alyson Tuthill.

The school district policy states students who bring a gun to school could face a year's suspension or expulsion.

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