A pre-teen boy was arrested on a felony charge after authorities determined he brought a gun to his school. A tip from a fellow student led school leaders to investigate.
“The safety of our students and school staff remains our highest priority,” said Sheriff Ken J. Mascara. “We are grateful to the student who notified authorities and remind all students that threats and possession of weapons on campus are serious crimes that come with serious consequences.”
The 12-year-old boy told authorities he took his father’s gun and brought it to his school, Oak Hammock K-8, for protection from a gang that had been harassing him.
Prior to the gun’s discovery, the boy and another student had gotten into a physical fight at school. During that fight, the boy made threats to kill the one with whom he was fighting, the Sheriff’s Office said in its arrest report.
The threatened student told authorities that he had seen a gun the boy was carrying.
Authorities did not find a gun on the boy’s person or in his possession. However, another boy came forward, telling investigators that he was holding the gun for the boy.
That student told authorities that the boy had been approached near a gas station by a gang with ties to the Bloods. The student said he carried the boy’s gun at the boy’s request.
When confronted, the boy confirmed what the student had said – that the gun was brought to school for protection against the gang. Whether the boy had actually been threatened or was considering using the gun at school remains unclear, according to the arrest report.
The boy allegedly had threatened to kill the kid he had been fighting with. Another student told investigators that he heard the boy threaten to shoot the other kid and make a hand motion under his shirt indicating he had a firearm.
The boy, too, has previously made a school threat, the report states. That threat led to his being investigated earlier in the school year.
The gun was recovered and taken as evidence. The boy was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center.
