MIAMI – The father of an 18-year-old student accused of bringing a gun to school Wednesday said his son suffers from a mental illness.
Jalen Bradley was arrested after bringing a gun to the Jan Mann Opportunity School in Miami Gardens, police said. He faces charges of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm on school property, battery on a law enforcement officer and three counts of attempted murder.
Bradley appeared before a judge Friday morning, seemingly subdued and leaning on the podium as Judge Maria Elena Verde read the charges against him.
His appearance was a stark contrast from the day before, when he never made it to court. A bailiff told the judge it was because he was being disruptive at the jail.
"He's not a bad kid, but the bottom line is he's missing his medication," father Everett Bradley told the judge.
According to the police report, the principal and a teacher at the school confronted Bradley after he was acting in a suspicious manner near the cafeteria. The teacher patted him down and felt a gun in his waistband.
After Bradley was taken into custody, he tried to run away while in handcuffs and fought with an officer, attempting to take his gun, police said.
Bradley later told police he would have shot the officer if he was able to take the gun away, police said. Bradley said he hates both security monitors and planned to shoot them as well, police said.
The troubled teen was already facing a misdemeanor battery charge prior to the most recent allegations.
"He's been taking medicine ever since he was 4 years old," Everett Bradley told Local 10 News. "He was getting checked and he's been diagnosed."
The judge ordered that he be held without bond. She also ordered a mental health evaluation.
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