LAUDERHILL, Fla. — A middle school student has been arrested after he brought a BB gun to school Monday, Lauderhill police confirmed Tuesday to Local 10 News.
The Parkway Middle School student, who appeared in juvenile court Tuesday morning, has been suspended from school until further notice and was ordered to stay away from the campus.
The boy was in court with his father and is not being held in juvenile detention.
He is scheduled to appear in court again on May 18.
According to police, officers were called to the school, located at 3600 NW Fifth Court, at about 7:30 a.m. Monday after the school resource officer was notified by a school behavioral technician that a student had been displaying what appeared to be a weapon prior to boarding a school bus.
Police said the student was found running through school grounds when he arrived on campus, and he was detained by the school officer.
A handgun-style BB gun was then found in his backpack, authorities said.
Police said the student is facing charges of possession of a weapon on school grounds and possession of a BB gun by a minor under age 16.
According to BCPS, the student is also facing “appropriate disciplinary measures in accordance with the Code Book for Student Conduct.”
BCPS confirmed that a tip from a student and parent led to the potentially dangerous discovery at the Lauderhill school.
Ackimo Charles, who is listed as “intern principal” of elementary and 8th grade on the school website, said in a message to parents, in part, “We received information from a student and parent about a possible weapon on campus. We immediately placed our school on Lockdown and notified our School Resource Officer and security team, who safely handled the situation and confiscated the weapon.”
“He told me he was going to bring it to school, but I told him not to do it, but he still went ahead,” a student told Local 10 News. “And one of my other friends told him not to do it.”
After police got involved, the lockdown was lifted and school operations continued as normal.
Charles praised the student and parent who reported the weapon, saying that the idea of “see something, say something” worked in this particular situation.
Craig McQueen, a former assistant chief for the Miami Police Department, told Local 10 that the situation could have had far more serious consequences.
“Now he could possibly have a criminal record that’s gonna follow him for the rest of his life. Why? To show off a gun? To be braggadocios for just a few minutes?” McQueen asked.
McQueen questioned how the student obtained the BB gun in the first place and stressed the role of parents in preventing incidents like this.
“These parents should be held accountable for their kids’ actions,” he said.
He also praised those who came forward to report the weapon, saying it helped prevent a worse outcome.
“I am happy that the kids who saw this reported it and no further injury or any major thing happened because people spoke up. They saw something, they said something,” McQueen said.
McQueen also emphasized how parents should handle access to weapons.
“If you want to buy your child a weapon, BB gun or whatever, please, take it to the right location,” he said. “Take it to the gun range with your supervision. Don’t allow the child to take the gun out of your presence. This is a kid that’s now facing serious criminal issues.”
Police confirmed no injuries were reported during the incident and there is “no ongoing threat to the school.”
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