Crime & Bullying Prevention

Hostage situation ends peacefully at West Virginia high school

14-year-old boy held a gun on teacher and classmates at Barbour High School in Philippi.
Aug. 26, 2015

A 14-year-old boy armed with a pistol was taken into custody after holding students and a teacher hostage at a West Virginia high school. No one was injured, police say.

CNN reports that the incident occurred at Philip Barbour High School in Philippi, W.Va. Police were alerted at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday that a person with a gun was inside the high school.

Officers arrived to find the boy in a second-floor classroom with other students and the teacher. He was armed with a pistol.

Everyone else was shuttled to safety, first to the school's football field and then home via bus.

Authorities negotiated with the boy, and he agreed to release all hostages, state police noted. He subsequently put the gun down, surrendered to law enforcement, and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

MORE: MetroNews reports that the pastor that helped negotiate a peaceful end to the hostage situation says the boy that held the classroom hostage was a victim of bullying who felt he had been pushed too far.

Video from CNN/WDTV:

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

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