DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A student accused of bringing a weapon to campus prompted a lockdown at Druid Hills High School in DeKalb County Thursday. Officials initially called it an "unsafe situation."
“Police came into every classroom," said Jude Highly, a student.
There were several officers at the school and officials said that the lockdown was issued out of an "abundance of caution" at around 10:40 a.m. By 12:10 p.m., it was lifted.
Charlie McAdoo III is the high school junior class president-elect and said he was locked down in the school cafeteria for almost an hour.
“We were on a level 2 lockdown, and then after that, we started getting other media from our classmates that there was someone on campus that may have had a gun," McAdoo said.
The school's police chief said students went to the principal's office to let them know that there was another student on campus that allegedly had a weapon. Officers conducted a search on campus and did not find the student. It was believed that the student may be off campus.
Less than a mile away, Emory University Police Department found the student and took them into custody. No weapon was found on the student.
In an update, DeKalb investigators said the weapon the student reportedly brought to Druid Hills High was recovered. DeKalb County School District police said the weapon was found around 4:30 p.m. in a wooded area near the North DeKalb Mall.
“The 'see something, say something' protocols that DeKalb County has in place were very helpful. We encourage our students to always tell the school resource officer or administrative team anytime they see something wrong in school," DeKalb County Schools Police Chief Bradley Gober said.
Emory was also on lockdown, and the university initially notified students via tweet and the school's alert system of an "active shooter." The school later deleted that tweet. They have since said there is no active shooter.
The police chief said the student will face multiple charges, including aggravated assault and bringing a weapon into a school zone. Authorities said they will continue to investigate.
No one was hurt.
A press conference was held at 4 p.m. You can watch it here: