JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two juveniles were arrested on a felony charge of possession of a firearm on a school campus after an incident at Oakleaf High School Wednesday, according to school district officials.
Chief Kenneth Wagner of the Clay County District Schools Police Department told First Coast News that at least four students were involved in a larger plan to bring the gun to school.
The district said that it had extra security on campus Thursday as a precaution following the incident and extra mental health counselors on hand for students.
Just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Oakleaf High School was placed on code red lockdown after a student told administrators they saw a student with a gun near a campus bathroom. The school was on lockdown for about two hours. The administration and school resource officer were able to find out who was involved quickly.
“From the time that we were notified and put the school into lockdown, I believe it was probably about 13 to 15 minutes from the time that we were alerted, to identifying who it was, to finding out where they were, and then discovering the gun," Wagner said.
Clay County School District Chief of Police Kenneth Wagner says one loaded gun was recovered. The students are 'acquaintances' but at this point, a motive is not known.
"We encourage people to download the safer Watch app for Clay County. It's monitored by law enforcement 24/7, Fortify Florida is another way to submit tips. At the bare minimum, go to your administrator, your school resource officers, or a responsible adult and report when you see something," Wagner said. \
An official statement from Chief Wagner, Clay County District Schools Police Department, on the lockdown:
Safety and security of our campuses is my number one priority and I am proud of our students who reported this to our administration. We encourage our students to always reach out to administration and their school resource officer if they see or hear of any threats, weapons, or suspicious behavior regarding school operations.