Flagler County teen arrested for bringing gun to school, pointing it at another student off-campus: Deputies

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FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. - A 15-year-old Flagler County student has been arrested after he allegedly brought a gun to school and later pointed it at another student in an off-campus incident.

FOX 35 News is choosing not to name the student, as he is a minor. 

15-year-old brings gun to school, points at another student

What we know:

On Sept. 5, a student at Flagler Palm Coast High School reported to school resource deputies that they were the victim of an aggravated assault with a firearm the day before.

According to the victim, another 15-year-old student pointed a gun at him in the bathroom of the McDonald’s in Palm Coast Town Center. Officials said the incident occurred when the victim and the 15-year-old were hanging out with a group of students after school.

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The victim said they believed the 15-year-old had brought the firearm to school and was in possession of it throughout the prior school day. For school safety purposes, deputies immediately removed the 15-year-old from class and, after searching him and his backpack, confirmed he was not currently in possession of any weapons.

When questioned during the incident, deputies said the 15-year-old initially confirmed he was at the restaurant but denied having possession of or brandishing a firearm. However, during the investigation, deputies discovered that a video of the incident had been posted to the 15-year-old's Instagram account. While the video had been deleted, deputies spoke with a student who said they had seen the video and that it showed the 15-year-old pointing a firearm at the victim.

Deputies again spoke with the 15-year-old, who they said then provided his cellphone and stated the firearm was in his bedroom closet. 

Deputies traveled to the 15-year-old's home and received consent to search his bedroom, where they located a 9 mm CANiK pistol and a magazine load with ammunition. After deputies located the pistol, the 15-year-old told deputies he was just playing around but confirmed he had pointed the firearm at the victim and had carried it onto the school’s campus the day before.

(Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Office)

Deputies arrested the 15-year-old for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, possession of a firearm on school property and possession of a firearm by a minor. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he was later turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

No one was injured during the incident. 

‘Recipe for disaster’

What they're saying:

"If you bring a gun to school or point it at someone else, you will be arrested," Sheriff Rick Staly said. "It doesn’t matter if you think you were just playing around; we will not tolerate this behavior, and a 15-year-old playing with a gun is a recipe for disaster. I commend the students who spoke up and reported this to our school resource deputies so they could investigate. This is a great example of why our SRDs build rapport with our students. Parents, we don’t like arresting your children, but we have a zero-tolerance policy, so you need to be the sheriff in your home and know what your child is doing."

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"When it comes to the safety of our students, it's a top priority," Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said. "Thanks to the ‘See Something, Say Something’ initiative taken by a student, others were safer as a result. If you bring a weapon on any of our campuses, you will face serious consequences. Our students, faculty and staff will work in accordance with our laws to help keep everyone safe."

What you can do:

Those who observe any suspicious activity should call (386) 313-4911, notify an SRD or school faculty, or submit a tip through FortifyFL by clicking here.