GREENSBORO, NC – An unsettling incident at a Greensboro elementary school has deeply concerned guardians and parents. They learned that a man had broken into Irving Park Elementary while carrying a gun over a week before the news was made public.
The authorities’ delay in notifying the public about the occurrence has raised more questions, and the details of how the intruder entered the premises are still unclear due to an ongoing investigation.
Parents have expressed their anxiety over this and are eager to ensure it never happens again. “What if on that particular day that there was an event going on, there were children inside?” a concerned grandmother shared while expressing her relief that her grandchild wasn’t present when the incident took place.
Officers responded to a burglary alarm at the school just after 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 13. The school principal informed investigators several days later after viewing surveillance footage.
The footage led to the identification of the suspect as 26-year-old Jonathan Cameron Coley. Coley, who has been charged with felony possessing a gun on educational property and misdemeanor breaking and entering, was arrested on Tuesday, April 16.
Parents and guardians were relieved that Coley was apprehended. However, they seek assurance that the incident does not repeat itself.
As part of his ongoing legal case, Coley has been barred from education properties and is required to take part in a mental health evaluation before being released from jail.