FROM STAFF REPORTS

Two Third Creek Elementary School students face misdemeanor charges after another student was shot by a pellet gun while riding the bus to school on Tuesday morning.

The suspects’ names and ages were withheld by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office because they are juveniles.

The ICSO began investigating after being notified by school administration. The student who was shot by the pellet gun notified her bus driver, who then told school officials, according to an ICSO news release.

The Third Creek Middle School Resource Officer immediately responded to the elementary school to assist in the investigation. The pellet gun was located and secured, Sheriff Darren Campbell said in the news release.

The female victim and the two male suspects were interviewed about the incident, Campbell said.

As a result of the investigation, the two male juveniles will be charged with misdemeanor weapons on campus or other educational property and misdemeanor assault. These charges will be forwarded to Juvenile Services. 

“This is an example of just how quickly and easily a weapon of any kind can show up on the steps of our elementary schools,” Campbell said. “Fortunately, the response time of our SRO was mere seconds. Having the School Resource Officers on campus is paramount to school safety. Thankfully, in this case, the bus driver, school administrators, and the SRO worked together to quickly stop this incident.”