An 18-year-old student was arrested Tuesday after school administrators discovered a shotgun in his car at Lanier College and Career Academy in Oakwood. Kevin Mondragon now faces a felony charge of carrying a weapon within a school safety zone and is being booked into Hall County Jail.
According to the Gainesville Times, the arrest and shotgun discovery were reported by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. WSB-TV, which first reported the case, said school administrators searched Mondragon’s vehicle after receiving a report of illegal substances inside, and found the unloaded shotgun in the trunk. A school resource officer assigned to the campus took Mondragon into custody, per the station’s report.
No Evidence of Intent to Harm, Investigators Say
Investigators found no evidence that Mondragon intended to harm anyone at the school, the station’s report noted. The incident unfolded on campus grounds at Lanier College and Career Academy, a Hall County school in Oakwood, and prompted an immediate response from school staff and law enforcement.
The case echoes a similar arrest in northwest Georgia less than a week earlier. On Oct. 28, a 17-year-old senior at Southeast Whitfield High School, Gabriel Garcia, faced a charge of possession of a weapon on a school campus after administrators searched his vehicle and allegedly found a handgun, ammunition, and loaded magazines, according to Atlanta News First. Garcia was held in Whitfield County Jail without bond, the outlet reported.
State Records Show Weapons Incidents Vary Widely by District
Georgia school districts have reported widely varying numbers of weapon-related discipline cases. A state record examined by WSB-TV showed how often staff in each district disciplined students for bringing weapons to school during the 2023-24 school year.
Gwinnett County recorded 191 disciplinary actions involving knives and five involving guns that year, the outlet found. Cobb County documented 145 incidents involving knives, nine involving guns, 47 involving other weapons, and two involving other firearms. Fulton County logged 144 weapon-related incidents, including 84 involving knives, 10 involving handguns, and 50 involving other weapons. Barrow County, by contrast, recorded 19 weapon-related incidents that year, all involving knives and none involving guns.
