Habersham County school administrators have confirmed that a juvenile brought a loaded handgun to Raider Stadium on Thursday, August 15. The incident occurred during the Habersham County Middle School’s football game against Hart County Middle School.
According to a statement issued by Director of School Safety/Chief of Police Murray Kogod, a school resource officer (SRO) was alerted to a juvenile spectator who appeared to be carrying a handgun. The SRO immediately took control of the juvenile and separated the individual from the rest of those attending the event. The officer secured the loaded weapon and the juvenile without incident.
An investigation into the incident has revealed that there was no intent to harm anyone. At no time was anyone at the event in any danger, Kogod said. However, he did not state what the motive was. Now Habersham is seeking more information to clarify how and why the youth was in possession of the gun.
It was determined that the juvenile is not a student of the Habersham County School System.
Kogod states that the juvenile was detained by the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Habersham County School Superintendent Matthew Cooper confirmed that the juvenile was not a Habersham County student. “The juvenile involved is not enrolled in our school system.”
Cooper adds, “I am thankful that we had an SRO on duty at the game that evening. I am also thankful for the way the situation was handled by law enforcement and that the investigation revealed there was no intent to harm anyone at the event.”
Now Habersham will update this story as new information becomes available.
