MS Coast school enters lockdown after parent shows gun off campus, police say

Magnolia Park Elementary briefly entered lockdown on Thursday after a parent held up a gun during a road rage incident just off campus, Ocean Springs police said.

The parent turned off Government Street and into the school for pickup as students were leaving for afternoon dismissal, according to police and a district spokesperson. Staff ushered students inside for the lockdown just after 3 p.m.

No students were in danger and the lockdown lasted only five minutes, said Trey Brennan, the district spokesperson.

The parent has not been charged with a crime.

Ocean Springs Deputy Police Chief Steven Dye said the parent raised the gun at another car on Government Street. The other car left, he said, and officers found the gun in the parent’s car in the pickup line.

Mississippi law says it is illegal to carry a gun on school property. But the law lists some exceptions, including if a parent keeps a gun inside a car and does not use it.

Dye said the parent will not be charged because she did not raise the gun on campus.

This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 4:17 PM.