HAMPTON, Va. - A Hampton High student was arrested after a gun was found at the school Monday.
Around 2:12 p.m., Hampton Police were notified of a weapon that was found on school property at Hampton High located in the 1400 block of West Queen Street.
According to police, a staff member became alerted that a student may be in possession of a weapon.
As a result of the investigation, a firearm was recovered and an 18-year-old student was taken into in custody. Police later identified the student as 18-year-old Marquise William Hedgepeth. He was charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds.
Officials say there was no threat to the school and the investigation is ongoing.
Hampton High School's Executive Principal sent the following message to families:
Good afternoon, this is Shameka Pollard, the executive principal at Hampton High School. At no time was there any threat to the school or any students or staff. HCS is working in collaboration with the Hampton Police Division. I cannot provide detail about the discipline but please know the student is not in school and is being disciplined according to the HCS Student's Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. The safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority and we will continue to take the appropriate measures to ensure our schools are safe. We appreciate the partnership with our students and families to create and maintain the level of safety that we want for our school. Thank you.
At Hampton we take the education and safety of our young people very seriously, and as such, I would like to apprise you of a situation that occurred today. Earlier today, became alerted to a student who may be in possession of a weapon. We immediately looked into this concern, escorted the student to the office, and conducted a safety check. Through our safety check, we confirmed that it was a firearm. With our ability to take swift action and secure the student, we did not need to place the entire school on a lockdown.
