Duval County Public Schools urged parents to appropriately lock up their weapons Tuesday after a 12-year-old student brought a gun to school.
A 12-year-old student who attends Timucuan Elementry School was carrying a gun in his backpack on Feb. 14, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
According to a police report, a parent advised that her daughter was walking home from school with the 12-year-old and other friends when she saw him with a handgun. According to the arrest report, her daughter said the 12-year-old told her not to tell anyone about it.
The concerned parent contacted the legal guardian of the 12-year-old and was told by the Guardian that the situation was under control and that the 12-year-old will be punished for taking the gun to school.
It was at that point that the concerned parent called the police.
When police began investigating, the owner of the firearm told them that his practice was to keep the firearm hidden in the master bedroom in a secure case with a lock. However, he just recently lost the key and had begun keeping the bedroom door locked instead.
When police questioned the 12-year-old, he said that there had been a strange man watching him as he went to and from school. He advised he wanted to have the gun for protection from being kidnapped. He told police that earlier in the day when he was walking home, he reached in the bag to get something and the gun fell out.
When asked how he obtained the firearm, the boy advised he was snooping for treats when he found the gun in a nightstand drawer. The boy stated he put the gun in his backpack the night before and placed it back in the drawer when he returned home from school.
When police retrieved the gun, it was found unloaded with the magazine separate from the weapon.
DCPS Superintendent Diana Greene said that everyone plays a role in keeping schools safe.
“The parent who contacted the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office should be commended, but we need gun owners to do everything possible to keep firearms away from children,” Greene said.
The school district's police department has taken over the investigation.
Though it isn't clear what consequences the student faces, DCPS says that possession of a firearm on school campus can result in disciplinary consequences including expulsion.