Lake Brantley High School students, parents react after gun found on campus

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Updated  September 11, 2024 10:21pm EDT
FOX 35 Orlando
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Students, parents react after gun found at Lake Brantley HS

Parents and students are calling for safety changes after a gun was found, and a boy was arrested on the campus of Lake Brantley High School.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Parents and students are calling for safety changes after a gun was found, and a boy was arrested on the campus of Lake Brantley High School. 

"This just needs to end. At some point, I urge you to make a call of action," Senior Sophia Linero said as she anxiously awaited an update outside the school building.

Around 8 o’clock Wednesday morning, the school went into lockdown following a tip regarding the weapon.

FOX 35 News spoke with a pair of boys who claimed to have seen the suspect with the weapon inside the bathroom.

"He pulled a gun out from his waistband and put it in his backpack. And that's when he proceeded to tell us, like, ‘Don't mess with me,’" one of the students said.

They said they then alerted security, which sparked the lockdown. For roughly two hours, a security sweep of the campus was conducted. During the search, an unloaded handgun was recovered. 

According to the Altamonte Springs Police Department, the gun was flagged as stolen outside Orange County. 

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Parents watched on, eager to learn more about the situation as it unfolded. Melissa Jones was among those who arrived at the school shortly after receiving a text from her son that read, in part, "If I hear a gunshot, I'm jumping out the window, and I'm out."

Like many others on the school's front lawn, Jones was distraught about the situation. 

"It's heartbreaking that these kids have to go through this," she said. "My son was terrified."

Parents were advocating for changes such as metal detectors and additional on-campus security.

"These kids came out rushing to hug their parents, crying. That was sad to see," Leslie Kirschenbaum said. "We've got to wake up!"

Police concluded it was an isolated incident, and there was no ongoing threat to the campus. The investigation is still underway.

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