Parents arrested after guns found at two North Carolina elementary schools
Two North Carolina parents were arrested in separate incidents this week after firearms were discovered involving elementary school students, authorities said.
In Nash County, a firearm was found Wednesday morning on a school bus taking students to M.B. Hubbard Elementary School in Battleboro, according to the Nash County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said a 10-year-old student noticed his bookbag felt heavier than normal after boarding the bus. When he opened it, he found a small-caliber handgun inside. Officials said the student immediately zipped the bag closed and gave it to the bus driver.
The bus driver notified school administrators upon arrival, and the school's resource officer secured the firearm. Authorities identified the weapon as a Diamondback DB9 subcompact 9mm pistol. It was loaded but did not have a round chambered.
The child's mother, Malasia Brianna Coleman, 30, was questioned and later arrested. She was charged with failure to properly store a firearm under North Carolina law, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
According to investigators, the child was not aware the gun was in his bag and had no intent to bring a weapon to school. Authorities said Coleman told deputies she had used the bookbag while moving and placed the firearm inside but forgot to remove it.
The boy was not charged. The sheriff's office said the student remained calm, did not remove the weapon, and immediately reported it to an adult.
In a separate case in Cumberland County, a parent was arrested Monday after an unloaded firearm was detected at Lucile Souders Elementary School in Fayetteville.
Fayetteville police said a school resource officer responded around 7:53 a.m. after a student set off a magnetometer while entering the school. Staff later discovered the firearm during a search.
Police said the student and their parents cooperated fully with law enforcement and school officials during the investigation.
The student's mother, Donreon McDuffie, 26, of Fayetteville, was arrested and charged with failing to properly store a firearm. She was released from the Cumberland County Detention Center on a $5,000 unsecured bond.
Authorities in both cases emphasized that student safety remained a top priority. Nash County officials said they are committed to providing a safe environment for students to learn and grow.
