JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A parent brought a loaded gun to a middle school basketball game Tuesday afternoon, according to Duval County school police.
It happened at Joseph Stilwell Military Academy. Duval County Public Schools said they were tipped off by someone at the basketball game, and the police department wasted no time looking into the claim.
The administrators took the tip to school board police, finding that parent did have a loaded gun.
Duval County Public Schools said in a statement that they took the parent into custody and an arrest is pending. They emphasized any type of firearm is not allowed on school property.
Officials said firearms are not even allowed to be kept in a vehicle that's on school grounds.
Parent Stephanie Kula told News4Jax she wasn't at the game, but was quickly notified by school officials.
"I got a phone call from the school, and I had it on speaker phone when it came through, and my sixth-grader got to hear it, and we were both really shocked, and he had a lot of questions afterward, but I just told him that I don't know why people do the things they do," Kula said. "I certainly don't hold the school responsible for it. I don't have any bad feelings."
It's still not clear why the parent had the gun.
Duval County Public Schools is encouraging parents to talk to their children and explain the importance of keeping guns off campus.
"Duval County Public Schools is very pleased with the responsiveness and cooperation of our students, staff and security teams," DCPS spokeswoman Laureen Ricks said in a statement. "We encourage parents and caregivers to talk with their children about this discovery, and emphasize his or her role in keeping our campus safe."