Student arrested with loaded gun on Tallahassee middle school campus

Ana Goñi-Lessan, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read
6

A middle school student was arrested Monday for bringing a loaded gun to school.

In an email sent out to parents, Fairview Middle School principal Rusty Edwards wrote the handgun was confiscated by the Leon County Sheriff's Office at dismissal, and the student was arrested. The gun was a Smith and Wesson 9mm, according to an LCSO press release.

"Safety is very much a high priority here at Fairview, and we are grateful that our students came forward to report their peer, taking to heart the motto 'See Something... Hear Something... Say Something,'" Edwards wrote.

Typically, LCSO puts out an alert soon after a weapon is discovered on campus, but that didn't happen until Friday.

More:District announces safety measures, will use handheld metal detectors, dog in 2023

School resource officers were notified of the gun by a tip from a fellow student. The arrested student said he took the loaded gun from a family member's home. The gun was not reported stolen, LCSO says.

The student was charged with one count of possession of a firearm on campus.

The following day, the Leon County Schools' safety and security office conducted surprise searches of both Fairview and Leon High School.

The district brings handheld metal detectors and a weapon-sniffing dog, named Stassi, who is trained to report the presence of firearms, including bullets.

Stassi, a weapons-sniffing dog, attends a press conference at the district's safety and security portable on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.
Stassi, a weapons-sniffing dog, attends a press conference at the district's safety and security portable on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.

There have been at least five instances of a weapon found on school grounds since the beginning of the school year.

According to the Leon County Schools code of conduct, the discipline for possession of a weapon on campus is expulsion.

Other cases of guns on campus

  • In January, LCSO arrested 17-year-old Leon High School student for allegedly bringing a stolen Glock 48 handgun to school campus.

  • In October, a Godby High School student was arrested after being caught with loaded gun on campus.

  • In early September, another Godby student was arrested after he was caught with a loaded 9mm handgun and marijuana in his backpack. Days later, a 17-year-old Leon High School student was arrested after a loaded handgun was found in his backpack.

  • And in late August, a Leon County school resource deputy arrested a 14-year-old, who had a loaded gun in his jacket during a Friday night football game between Lincoln and Godby at Gene Cox Stadium.

See something, say something

The FortifyFL app is available to anonymously report suspicious, Leon County School related activity or call 850-922-KIDS. Also, as part of its Cease Fire initiative, LCSO in collaboration with Big Bend Crime Stoppers will offer a monetary reward leading to the arrest of an individual illegally possessing a firearm. Tipsters can remain anonymous and receive a $1,000 reward, call 850-574-TIPS.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gun found on Fairview Middle School campus in Tallahassee, Leon County