Reports detail nearly 30 gun-at-school incidents

5 incidents happened between Sept. 29 and Oct. 3 in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police reports from five guns-at-schools incidents between Sept. 29 and Oct. 3 in Jacksonville were released Wednesday, and News4Jax has obtained reports for 29 incidents in Duval County involving guns at schools in the last two years.

In the 2012-2013 school year, there were 11 incidents and eight arrests. The next year there were 10 incidents and eight arrests. This year, there have been eight incidents and 10 arrests, and it's only a couple of months into the school year.

On Sept. 29, a 10-year-old boy was arrested with a gun at Chaffee Trail Elementary School, according to police. Investigators said the boy brought a .22 magnum revolver to school and showed it off to several of his friends.

According to the police report, the boy pulled the firearm from his waist and cocked it for a classmate in the restroom. Later, when he happened to get in trouble back in class, the boy was caught hiding the weapon behind a trash can, pretending to tie his shoe, police said.

IMAGES: Mug shots of arrests in latest gun-at-school incidents
CHART: Gun-at-school incidents since October 2012

News4Jax contacted the boy's mother on Wednesday after obtaining the reports, but she had no comment on the incident.

"We have nothing to talk to you all about," she said. "Nothing whatsoever."

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office booking photo of Ronald Stewart

Also Sept. 29, 16-year-old Ronald Stewart was arrested at Wolfson High School on a charge of possession of a handgun. Police said he was caught trying to stash a .22-caliber revolver behind a bookshelf.

According to the report, in his pocket was a bandanna with blood stains and two eye holes cut out. Stewart (pictured, right, in Duval County Sheriff's Office booking photo) hid the gun in a classmate's purse, police said.

Brianna Lineberry, 18, that classmate, was also arrested because the revolver was found in her purse, police said. Detectives said Stewart told her he keeps the gun on him because he's been shot at multiple times on the way home from school.

"Something's going wrong at home, there's maybe something more that teachers can do, but it all starts at home and it starts in the community," concerned parent Michelle Jackson said. "A lot of people will say, 'It's not my problem,' but it's a community problem."

On Oct. 2, 18-year-old Wolfson student Timothy Hayes was found with two guns in a stolen car at an apartment complex next to the high school. He was arrested on charges of car theft and resisting police.

Also Oct. 2, 14-year-olds Rodney Gibson and Warren Jones were arrested with loaded handguns at J.E.B. Stuart Middle School, according to police.

On Oct. 3, 20-year-old Rashad Lewis was arrested after police said he had a handgun and drugs in a car that had just left Wolfson. Police said Lewis was a passenger in the car.

One of the most startling incidents in the last two years happened at Ribault High School in October 2013. Police found a loaded assault rifle in a rental car and two men running from it. One turned out to be a murder suspect.

No one was hurt or threatened in these incidents. Most were resolved by students who knew about the weapon and alerted an administrator.

"That's one of the things that I like that I've seen so far," News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said. "In several cases, kids have seen the weapon or knew about the weapon and immediately went to a teacher or an administrator and told them about it, and the weapon and the student were removed from the school. Because, we don't know what could have happened if they had not told someone, so that's the most important thing right there -- to let someone know."

School board member Paula Wright said some students in the past have said they brought the weapons because they were in fear. She said most kids got the guns from their homes, but a lot of times they buy them on the streets or from friends.

Wright said guns in schools is a complicated problem and school leaders need everyone's help to make a change.

"What is going on in our community is the question we should be asking," Wright said by phone. "Certainly there are some things going on in the community, and I think parents should be asking, 'Why would my child need a gun to take anywhere?' And I think that we have to understand that schools are not silos. Schools are part of our community. So are students bringing guns because they are protecting themselves and one of the places they would stop that day is a school?"

Chryl Anderson with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America said she finds the incidents, especially recently, extremely concerning and other parents should be equally worried.

"It is time for us to pay attention," Anderson said. "Our children are telling us something by the fact that they are bringing guns to school. And one of the things that they are telling us is that it is too easy for them to get access."

Both Anderson and Wright said they're going to look into the problems more now that they've been brought to light. Wright said she's going to try to meet with other government leaders like the sheriff to address the issues.