Deputies with the Dillon County Sheriff's Office say last week, three Latta Middle School students were playing with bullets outside the school.
Officers say the boys, ages 13, 14, and 15, threw the bullets on the ground and one went off.
No one was injured.
Officers say they initially got a call that shots had been fired but later realized what happened after talking with the students.
Deputies say they're trying to determine who brought the bullets to the school to determine who should be charged.
School officials say the students involved had expulsion hearings Monday afternoon, but the results are still pending.