Firework ignited in Clayton High School bathroom; 2 students face consequences

Sep 08, 2023

CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Two Clayton High School students are in trouble after setting off a firework in one of the school's bathrooms.

It happened near the end of the school day on May 31.

Investigators said the sound of the firework terrified some students who heard it and thought it was a gunshot.

Heavy smoke then billowed out of the bathroom and into the hallway. The firework explosion also damaged one of the walls in the bathroom.

Nobody was injured.

Clayton Police Department arrested student Amiere Dayvon Coates, 18, and charged him with multiple felonies including burning a school building, malicious use of an explosive and burning a public building. He was placed in jail under a $125,000 bond.

A juvenile petition was also filed for the other student involved in what happened. That student was identified as being 16 years old; their identity was not released.