JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The loaded handgun Jacksonville police said a student brought to Mandarin High School last week had been stolen last December during a home burglary in St. John’s County.
Police arrested 17-year-old Davondre Smith on Friday and charged him with having the gun on school grounds.
Three handguns and a AR-15 rifle were taken during the burglary, and the owner told News4Jax he had worried ever since that they might be used in a deadly crime. He is somewhat relieved to learn that one of the guns has been recovered.
The gun's original owner, who did not want to be identified, told News4Jax that he is not surprised by anything anymore. He said has better secured the firearms on his property, adding a gun safe and security cameras.
When school staff at Mandarin High were searching Davondre Smith, they saw the butt of a gun sticking out of his waistband. Not only is he facing charges in Duval County, St. Johns County detectives want to question him.
"(We'll) look to the individual found with the firearm; see if he will do any interviews with us to see where he acquired the firearm from, and then work it back to the potential suspect and the potential burglar," St. Johns County Commander Chuck Mulligan said. "Many times, we'll find the suspect in the actual burglary is not the person who ends up with the firearm -- it has traded hands two to three times."
Crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said Jacksonville and the surrounding area is second only to Atlanta in the number of gun thefts, and most guns stolen here are sold in northern states that have stricter gun laws.