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A Butler High student who was shot during a fight on the Matthews campus Monday morning has died, police said.
Authorities have identified the suspect and victim. Victim Bobby McKeithen, 16, was a sophomore, Matthews Police Capt. Stason Tyrrell said.
The suspect is a ninth-grader at Butler, Tyrrell said. Jatwan Craig Cuffie, 16, has been published with Tyrrell and jail records.
McKeithen was taken to Carolinas Medical Center, said police, where he died. CMS Superintendent Clayton Wilcox said in a press conference outside the school.
CMS said the shooting occurred after the start of the school day.
The incident occurred in a young man's hometown, "Wilcox said. "There were many kids in the halls when this took place," he said.
The shooting occurred around 7 am, shortly before classes started. A school resource officer was nearby, and "the situation was under control very quickly," Wilcox said. "It's a video surveillance", said officials.
Wilcox said school officials were not sure how to get to school, but noted that they were "actively" searched by the staff.
"We've worked hard on school security last six or seven months," Wilcox said. "We are going to review all of our procedures, we are going to review our security plans and we can do things that are a little more aggressive."
He added that the district may discover that it "did not intervene quickly enough in a bullying situation."
CMS officials posted on Facebook that is being made available for students and staff at the school. "The Butler High School community and CMS appreciate the support of the entire community during this difficult time," said the post.
Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement that he had been in touch with local officials and offered state support.
"Cooperated." "We are more critical of our schools than we are," Cooper stated.
'This is not a drill'
About 2,100 students attend the school, according to its website.
The school is located just outside Charlotte at 1810 Matthews-Mint Hill Road. Parents were alerted to the incident via a robo call issued by CMS. WSOC reported that the parents were gathering around the campus, despite being told they were waiting for updates at Elevation Church on Independence Boulevard.
On the periphery of the school, a steady stream of students made their way off campus. Some were accompanied by their parents. Some were not.
Several of the departing students said that they have learned about the incident from Instagram.
Ryan Kenyon, a junior, said when the school went into lockdown, students were told to go to the nearest classroom and to be quiet. Ryan said they stayed there for 90 minutes, the first block of classes of the day. Students were allowed to go to their normal scheduled second class, he said.
Gabby Kaminsky, a 10th grader, said she said, "They were coming from.
"My teacher made us desks in front of the door and shut the lights, and they were saying: 'This is not a drill' … so everyone in my classroom was really scared," she said.
"I had texted my mom. A lot of people were on their phones, and the teachers would not have anybody left, so kids were scared. "
Parent Scott Simpson questioned CMS 'decision to go back to a normal schedule so soon after the shooting. "They're changing classes during an active crime scene," he said.
Monday was supposed to be a midterm test day, but the exams were canceled, students said. Parents expressed frustration on not getting information from CMS.
Brenda Kenyon, Ryan's mother, said police at the scene told parents to gather at nearby Elevation Church. Then they were allowed to go to school.
Students said hundreds of concerned and shouting parents massed in front of the building, demanding that their children be allowed to leave.
"Parents, like, stormed the building," sophomore James Kelly said.
Scott Simpson came to his grade, Brody. Rather than come out a main exit, "We made him sneak out a back door. He did not feel safe, "said the father.
Brody's big sister, Bella, now an 11th-grader at the charter, Commonwealth High, said today's event corroborates her decision to leave Butler. "I left because of the bullying and fights," she says.
National school shoots
There were 47 violent deaths at schools nationwide from mid 2014 to mid 2015, the most recent years of available data.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the deaths included 28 homicides, 17 suicides and two by law enforcement officers who were attempting to make an arrest, suppress a disturbance or maintain order.
A database created by the Washington Post reports 17 school shoots from Jan. 1, 2018, to March 25, 2018 – the last entry in the database.
Thirty-one people were killed in these shootings, including 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida and 10 at Santa Fe High School in Texas.
One of the 31 victims was the result of a suicide. Five people were killed at school shoots in 2017 and two in 2016 nationwide, according to Post data. Charlotte schools have witnessed two other shootings since 2003, Post data show.
One student was accidentally shot and injured by a .25-caliber handgun at East Mecklenburg High School in November 2003. In 2008, another student was accidentally shot and injured at Crossroads High School Charter in Charlotte.
Gavin Off, Cassie Cope and Theoden Janes contributed to this story.
Mark Price: 704-358-5245, @markprice_obs
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