A 6-year-old at North Springs Elementary School told authorities he brought a large kitchen knife to school for protection, while roughly 30 minutes earlier and across town, a 13-year-old at Dutch Fork Middle School was found with a knife tucked in his bookbag. Richland County deputies handled both cases on the same morning, Oct. 21, releasing each student to his parents once the investigations got underway.
According to thestate.com, the Richland County Sheriff's Department was investigating two separate incidents involving students bringing knives onto school grounds that day. The first report came in at about 7:45 a.m., when deputies learned that the 13-year-old Dutch Fork Middle student had a knife in his backpack. He was charged with possessing a weapon on school grounds and released to his parents, the outlet reported.
Second Knife Surfaces at Elementary School Minutes Later
About 30 minutes after that initial report, an officer at North Springs Elementary School was notified that a 6-year-old student had a large kitchen knife, per the same account. The child said he had it for protection, according to the sheriff's department. As with the middle schooler, he was released to his parents while the investigation continued.
As reported by WYFF, the 6-year-old told authorities directly that he had brought the knife to school for protection, according to the Richland County Sheriff's Department. North Springs assistant principal Denise Collins said investigators determined no students were threatened in the North Springs Elementary situation. The investigations into both cases remained ongoing, per the earlier account.
Knives Remain the Most Common Weapon Found in SC Schools
Neither case on its own points to a broader 2026 trend, but knives have long been the most frequently confiscated weapon in South Carolina classrooms. Statewide, schools reported finding weapons on campus 1,089 times over the three school years spanning 2014 to 2017, according to postandcourier.com. In Greenville County Schools, a district spokeswoman told the outlet that knives were, by far, the most common item confiscated during that period, compared with 88 firearms seized statewide in the 2015-16 school year alone, including 46 handguns.
That same Post and Courier report noted a strikingly similar prior case: a district teacher once found a knife in a 6-year-old's backpack after another student tipped them off. It's a reminder that young children bringing knives to South Carolina schools is not unheard of, even if the exact circumstances behind Wednesday's North Springs incident remain unclear.
The South Carolina Department of Education compiles annual safety and discipline reports, including Gun-Free Schools Act and School Crime data. Richland County deputies say both of Wednesday's cases remain under investigation.
