Five people, including two children, were hurt in three separate shootings across Rockingham over the weekend, prompting the local school district to ask for extra law enforcement at a middle school. Rockingham police said they sent an officer to the campus as a precaution after the district's request, though the exact school has not been named.
According to WSOC-TV, Richmond County Schools requested the increased presence because of several acts of violence involving students from the district, and posted a message to parents about the added security. Rockingham police confirmed they were asked to send the officer to the middle school as a precaution.
The first shooting happened early Sunday morning on Hunter Circle, where two boys were hit, including a 13-year-old. Police said the boys' injuries did not appear to be serious. That same Sunday morning, shots fired near Cauthen Drive struck two adults, according to the same report.
Nannie Lane Shooting Under Separate Investigation
A third shooting, on Nannie Lane off U.S. Highway 74, is being investigated by Richmond County deputies rather than city police. One man was shot there and is expected to recover, per the station's report. The Richmond County Sheriff's Office is handling that case.
Police said they have a suspect identified in each of the three cases but had made no arrests as of the report, and investigative teams were following leads. The department also said it does not believe the two shootings within city limits are connected, and little other information about motives had been released. One Rockingham resident, Donna Wilson, told the station she prays for the children and called the violence crazy, reflecting the worry the shootings have stirred among parents in the community.
The Rockingham Police Department said violent incidents across Richmond County remain a top priority for both the department and the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, and that the two agencies are working closely together on the investigations. Officials said investigators are making progress toward identifying those responsible and taking enforcement action, and that both agencies remain committed to protecting residents and holding those responsible accountable. Police asked anyone with information to contact Richmond County Crime Stoppers or reach out directly to either agency.
District Has Been Expanding School Security Measures
The weekend's violence lands amid an ongoing rollout of school-safety technology across the district. Rockingham County Schools has been installing weapons-detection systems at its middle and high schools, according to WXII 12. The technology, known as the Open Gate System, is part of a project costing a little less than half a million dollars, partially funded through a Center for Safer Schools grant.
J.E. Holmes Middle School was the first campus in the district to use the system, starting the previous April, the outlet reported. Rockingham County Schools says on its safety page that its broader security infrastructure includes clear-bag policies, safety vestibules, weapons-detection systems, cameras, alarms, access control and fire detection. The district also states that making threats of mass violence is a felony under North Carolina law.
Richmond County itself is described in a state profile as predominantly rural, with a population of 41,826, and Rockingham as its largest city with roughly 8,677 residents, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Statewide crime figures compiled through the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation are drawn from reports submitted by more than 500 participating law enforcement agencies.
For now, the investigations into all three shootings remain active, with no arrests announced and the connections between the cases, if any, still unresolved. Police have not said whether the added officer presence at the middle school will continue beyond the immediate precaution.
