7th-grader accused of bringing BB gun to Brownsville Middle School

No ammunition found in student's possession, school spokesman says

MIAMI – A seventh-grader will be disciplined after bringing a BB gun, or pellet gun, to school Thursday morning, Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesman John Schuster said.

According to Schuster, another student at Brownsville Middle School saw the gun and reported it to an adult.

Schuster said the gun was not loaded and there was no ammunition found in the student's possession.

He said it appeared the boy was trying to show off the gun, rather than threatening to harm anyone.

"It's just stupid to bring a gun, even if it's for a joke -- it's just plain stupid to even joke about it in general," former Brownsville Middle School student Jonathan Sanchez said.  

Schuster said the student will be disciplined under the guidelines of the Student Code of Conduct and may possibly be reassigned to a success center, where he can continue his education with more supervision.

"Although this incident did not involve a real firearm, the student exercised poor judgment in bringing the item to school," Schuster said in a statement.  

The gun was confiscated by administrators, and classes resumed as normal for the day. 

Community activist Tangela Sears told Local 10 News that she learned about the incident through her cousin, who is a teacher at the school.

"We cannot have kids coming to school, whether it's with guns, with BB guns -- that's not fair," Sears said. 

Sears said school district officials should have alerted the school board and parents about what happened. 

"When things are not being reported -- things are being swept under the rug -- and then someone gets hurt," she said.  

 


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.