Gloucester High School went into lockdown Tuesday, and two men were arrested in connection with the incident.
According to a statement from Gloucester County Public Schools (GCPS), the lockdown was put in place around 11 a.m. in response to a report of a weapon outside in a construction area.
In addition to the school resources officers, a larger presence from Gloucester County Sheriff’s officers arrived and had the scene secured within minutes, according to GCSO.
Police and school officials said they discovered some of the construction workers outside the building had gotten into an altercation. GCSO said it was reported that an individual was brandishing a firearm, and they discovered a loaded pistol.
Travis Sentel Evans Jr., an 18-year-old construction worker from Virginia Beach was arrested and charged with:
- Carrying a firearm on Public School Property
- Brandishing a firearm while on School Property
- Carrying a concealed Weapon
- Removing, altering, destroying a serial number to a firearm
- Possessing marijuana on public school property
Evans Jr. is currently held without bond. He has a court appearance scheduled for today, April 18, at 2 p.m.
His father, 44 -year-old Travis Sentel Evans of Norfolk, was another one of the construction workers involved in the argument, according to GCSO. He was arrested “due to behavior that occurred during his son’s arrest.” The elder Evans was charged with disorderly conduct and granted $1,000 bond. He’s scheduled to return to court on April 24, court records show.
GCPS said it has a zero-tolerance policy regarding the possession of weapons on school grounds.
“Division Leadership immediately scheduled a meeting with the general contracting company to review current procedures for vetting construction and subcontractor employees. The Division is also working with the company on additional safety measures to ensure that any incident similar to this will not happen again,” the school system said in a statement.
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