TIFT COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) – Authorities have released new details after a firearm and ammunition were discovered on the Tift County High School campus earlier this week.

According to the incident report, on September 16, 2025, at around 1:30 p.m., school administration received an anonymous tip through the district’s safety tip line. The message warned that a student “has a gun with an extended magazine inside of his truck at parking spot … with over 100 bullets and has live ammo and an extended magazine inside the middle center console.” The tip also described the vehicle as a brown GMC with chrome rims.

Tifton police and school officials immediately located the vehicle and conducted a search. Inside the center console, investigators found a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol equipped with an extended magazine. Alongside the weapon, more than 100 rounds of live ammunition were recovered.

The student, who is a minor, has been charged with:

• Possession of a firearm by a minor
• Carrying weapons within a school safety zone

While carrying weapons on school grounds is not explicitly listed as a felony under Georgia law, the statute (O.C.G.A. §16-11-127.1) allows for felony charges depending on the circumstances.

The case remains under investigation, and the student’s name has not been released due to age.

WALB has reached out to officials for additional information.

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