West Virginia: Armed Teenager Holds Teacher, Students Hostage at High School

The Philip Barbour High School student, whose name wasn’t released, allegedly held “numerous students” and his teacher hostage with a pistol in a second-floor classroom, West Virginia State Police said in a news release.

Students were evacuated when the school was placed on lockdown.

One police officer said that the negotiations worked very smoothly and that the boy agreed to release the teacher and all of the students, after which he surrendered without giving rise to any further problems.

State Police Capt. Dave Reider said that law enforcement security would be beefed up at the school Wednesday when classes resume, the AP reported.

The West Virginia State Police continues to investigate the incident in an effort to determine the possible motive.

West Virginia State Police have stated a suspect has been arrested after a report of somebody with a gun inside the highschool. An assistant principal then asked for the police to be alerted, Woofter said.

Barbour County 911 officials confirm Route 250 has been shut down in front of Philip Barbour High School, according to WBOY.

Investigators are still trying to pin down what led the 14-year-old – who was sent to a local hospital for evaluation after the incident – to do what he did. Poling said that because the case involves a juvenile, the court process would be closed. Police haven’t identified the student, reports U.S. News.

Details of the negotiations were not immediately clear.

Saltis advised The Related Press by phone that his daughter attends the varsity.

The incident happened in the small town of Philippi, home to about 3,000 residents and located about 115 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pa. Authorities said the episode began after 1 p.m. and police had the situation under control by about 3:30 p.m.