Jimmy Lee Thompson, Jr., 18, of West Columbia, has been charged with carrying a weapon on school property by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). 

Thompson was arrested Thursday, Oct. 9. According to the arrest warrant, the incident occurred on or around Oct. 4, at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg County.  

Investigators said a loaded FN handgun was found under a chair in the common area of the Judine Suites Building 1. When SLED agents recovered the firearm, Thompson told investigators he had been sleeping in the chair. 

Eyewitnesses reported that Thompson was the only person in the common room at the time.  

Thompson was booked into the Orangeburg County Detention Center, and the case will be prosecuted by the 1st Circuit Solicitor's Office.