OCALA, Fla. — West Port High School in Ocala was locked down on Wednesday morning after police said a student had a gun on campus.
- Ocala police: Gun on campus at West Port HS
- Sophomore taken into custody, charged
- Another student reported to SRO that their classmate had a gun
The student, a sophomore at West Port High School, was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm on school property and possession of a firearm by a person under the age of 21.
The gun was found thanks to another student at West Port High School, who reported to the school’s school resource officer that one of his classmates had the weapon.
Around lunch time Wednesday, the school was on 'code yellow' -- meaning students may not leave their classrooms.
“The SRO actually went into the classroom, where that student was, searched the backpack and found the weapon in the backpack -- as I understand, (it was) a hand gun, not loaded, but there was a magazine with it,” said Kevin Christian, Public Relations Director at Marion County Schools.
A strong police presence had been on campus, and no students were in danger, officials said.
“Obviously with the climate that we’re in the USA with so many school shootings, something like this is taken very seriously,” said Meghan Shay, Public Information Officer with Ocala Police Dept.
A student at West Port High texted her family about the situation.
“I texted them 'I’m safe,' and then I said, 'I guess they found a gun,'” said Cameron Martinez, a senior at West Port High School.
Martinez's mom Erica Burke said more needs to be done to stop this, suggesting adding metal detectors and random checks.
“We can’t just say, 'Oh we can’t prevent it,' and just let it be. That’s not the answer,” Burke said.
Police are not sure why the student brought the gun to school or what he was planning to do with it. Spectrum News is not disclosing his identity -- in accordance to our crime guidelines -- as he’s a minor.
There were no injuries. An investigation is ongoing.