Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had another incident involving a gun on a CMS Campus today. The Huntersville Police Department held a press conference and stated the trouble began around 12:33 pm in the parking lot at North Mecklenburg High School. From inside a vehicle, a 16-year old North Meck student named Josh Cook pointed a gun at two students in the parking lot. He threatened the students with the gun but did not fire the weapon. Cook left the school campus in his vehicle.
Several students called police and the school resource officer who responded to the scene quickly. The witnesses identified Cook and gave a description of the vehicle he was driving. Huntersville Police and CMS Officials locked down North Meck and three other schools in the area. Police put out an alert to all officers to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. With the help of Cook's family, police were able to locate Josh in his car parked at a Citgo gas station on Statesville Rd.
Police saw the 16-year old handling the gun inside his vehicle and officers asked him to drop his weapon. Moments later, Josh Cook committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Medic responded and transported Cook to CMC, where he later died.
It is reported Cook was distraught over a recent break-up with a girlfriend. One of the students Cook threatened at the school is his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. Today's gun incident ended in a tragedy but it could have been far worse. On Monday, we saw what happened at Virginia Tech and how much pain and suffering one disturbed person can bring. - View Press Conference
