COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina teen who was arrested for having a loaded gun with his mother at a mall also sneaked a loaded weapon into the facility where he was being detained, authorities said.
The 13-year-old boy was originally arrested on Wednesday at the Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia, along with his mother, 40-year-old La’Kenyatta Moore-Rhodes, WSPA-TV reported.
The two were arrested a month after at least 14 people were injured in a mass shooting at the mall. Jewayne M. Price, 22, who was one of three people initially detained by authorities as a person of interest in the April 16 shooting, was arrested and charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol, WLTX-TV reported.
Moore-Rhodes was charged with pointing and presenting a firearm, unlawful carry of a firearm and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to a news release from the Columbia Police Department. The teen was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a person under the age of 18, unlawful carry of a firearm and pointing and presenting a firearm, according to the release.
After searching the teen in the mall on Wednesday, officers with the Columbia Police Department discovered a loaded 9-millimeter firearm, according to WIS-TV. Authorities learned through surveillance video that Moore-Rhodes initially had the weapon and handed it to her son, the television station reported.
After Moore-Rhodes and her son were detained, at least two Columbia police officers and Department of Juvenile Justice staffers missed the second gun that the boy sneaked into the holding area, according to The State newspaper.
“This incident represents an egregious failure on many levels, including a violation of policy and procedure,” the police department said in a statement. “This lack of a thorough search is unacceptable and risked public and officer safety.”
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The Columbia Police Department said that it suspended the officers and they are being required to undergo retraining, WSAV-TV reported.
Officers “patted down” the teenager, Department of Juvenile Justice Director Eden Hendrick said in a statement.
The teen was “showered, and dressed in facility clothes,” according to the statement, and the gun was still undetected.
At one point, Department of Juvenile Justice staff members were alerted to a second weapon and safely confiscated it.
“This entire series of events was preventable,” Hendrick said. “The safety and security of our staff and youth is our highest priority.”