JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An 11-year-old is in custody after police said he brought a loaded 9mm handgun to school on Monday.
An arrest report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office indicates the boy showed the gun to other students on the school bus heading to school, and then showed it off in the bathroom at Beauclerc Elementary.
The report said he was seen “racking the slide and waving it around.” This means pulling the slide back to its rearmost position—and then letting it go forward. If a magazine is loaded and inserted in the gun, this loads the chamber and prepares the gun to fire.
Three students, ages 9 and 10, told a teacher about what they had seen. When a school administrator searched the 11-year-old’s belongings, they found the gun. The school’s principal called parents on Monday to inform them about confiscating the loaded firearm.
A forensic psychologist — who has performed threat assessments, or tests, to determine if children have intent or means to carry out violence — spoke to News4JAX about the incident.
“The key warning sign is the fact that they’re telling you they’re going to do something and they’re showing a weapon,” Dr. Justin D’Arienzo, forensic psychologist, told News4JAX.
The police report said the boy “wanted to kill another student” and that the gun belonged to his mother and was not stolen. It also said he showed no remorse or emotion for his actions.
“If there was no remorse then that would be consistent with somebody that was having some type of oppositional or defiant type of problem or maybe they had a developmental issue,” D’Arienzo said.
The 11-year-old is facing charges of possessing a weapon or firearm on school property and making threats. The report was redacted, so why the 11-year-old wanted to kill the other student remains unknown.
The doctor also said when it comes to parents paying attention to their children, they should look for sudden shifts in moods.