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Student who brought gun to school made no threats to others

School officials and law enforcement in St. Johns County said everything worked as it was supposed to after a student brought a gun inside a high school.

The male student at St. Augustine High School was placed under arrest after he was found to have a loaded gun inside his book bag.

“There were no threats to any of the faculty or staff or the students in the school, but he did have intentions of using the gun.  He was despondent,” said Sgt. Catherine Payne, with St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

Payne said another student actually reported the incident to faculty and staff. The quick response helped to contain the situation, she said, and there was no need to put the school on lockdown.

“From what we know, everything happened right in this case, from the student that was observant and concerned and reported it immediately, then of course the faculty and staff taking the action that they took and the deputy's prompt response itself,” she said.

Officials with the district also commended the student for acting quickly to report the gun. They said while schools are relatively safe in the county, security procedures are constantly being reviewed.

“We continue to look at those pieces, and again, those are not things we just sit idly on a shelf and we don't address,” said Paul Abbatinozzi, director of school services for the district.

The Sheriff’s Office told Action News the student only faces one felony charge of possessions of a firearm on a school campus, because the gun was not obtained illegally. The student allegedly brought the gun from home.

The student was suspended indefinitely and will face a disciplinary hearing from the district.

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