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School officials said in a letter to parents that an administrator "was made aware that there might be a reason to search one of our students. During the search, a gun was found. Ammunition was found separately from the gun."
Police took 16-year-old Willie Harvey Witherspoon into custody.
School officials said they immediately contacted the WCPSS Security team and the School Resource Officer, who "safely retrieved the gun."
No students were witnesses to the incident and there was no disruption to the school day, officials said.
"Be assured that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken to protect our students and our campus. State law requires an automatic 365-day suspension for such offenses," school officials said in the letter.