Whitehaven High School student arrested after social post leads to discovery of stolen gun on campus

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A Whitehaven High School student has been arrested after a concerning social media post led to the discovery of a gun on campus that police say was stolen during a robbery.

The student has not been identified, and charges have not yet been announced.

Memphis police officers were called to the school just after 10 a.m. Friday.

A school security guard told police that he was tipped off that a student posted a picture on social media of himself holding a gun, with the caption reading, “by myself.”

The security guard detained the teenager and probed him on whether or not he had a firearm on school property, which the student denied.

The security guard then searched the teen’s 2019 Dodge Charger and found a Glock handgun in the rear console.

MPD says the gun was stolen during a robbery on September 20.

After the gun was seized, the teen told the school security guard that the assault rifle seen in his social media post was inside a tote box in his bedroom.

The student’s mother came to the school and gave police permission to seize the gun from her home.

All parties went to the family’s home, where police say they were unable to find the rifle in question.

The teen offered to show officers where the gun was stored, though, the tote where the rifle was last seen was found empty.

The suspect insisted he did not know who took or moved the gun.

The student was then transported to Shelby County Juvenile Court, and the stolen gun was marked as evidence.

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