HUNTERSVILLE, N.C.,None — Witnesses said they thought they heard gunshots at North Mecklenburg High School on Thursday when a potentially dangerous homemade device went off within 20 feet of a police officer.
"It was right at the end of first lunch when students were leaving when the two bangs went off," said Huntersville police Lt. Ken Richardson.
The bangs came from a cafeteria trash can, in which someone had placed two plastic water bottles containing a mixture that included a common household substance.
The chemical combination produced gas inside the bottles that caused the pressure to build up and eventually blow off the bottle caps, police said.
A school resource officer was standing 20 feet away from the trash can.
"I mean even the officer says he thought it was two shots at first," said Richardson.
No one was hurt but, "it did rattle some of the students," said Richardson.
Huntersville police and CMS officials said they were not taking the incident lightly.
It came one day after a student opened fire at a high school in Omaha, Neb., and killed the principal and wounded the assistant principal before taking his own life.
The person responsible for planting the water-bottle devices at North Mecklenburg could face criminal charges and punishment from the school district.
"I mean there's 1,400 children out there that are somebody's child that we're responsible for, so we do treat it seriously," said Richardson.
Students who may have information about the incident were asked to call Huntersville police or Crime Stoppers.