JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 19-year-old student from the University of North Florida was arrested Thursday after he pointed a gun at a classmate and pulled the trigger, police said.
Cage William Edwards has been charged with aggravated assault, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrest report.
According to UNF police, the classmate reported the gun did not go off. The incident happened at the Osprey Fountains dorm, which houses about 1,000 students.
The JSO arrest report says the classmate, who News4Jax is not naming, heard what sounded like a gun being racked and then heard a knock at his dorm door. When he answered it, Edwards pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at his chest and pulled the trigger, the report said.
The classmate told police that the gun "clicked" and that Edwards then walked away back to his own room but came back a few seconds later to ask if the classmate was going to call the police.
After the victim went to campus police to report the incident, officers searched Edwards' dorm room and car and found a gun safe, which was taken into evidence until the State Attorney's Office decides whether to issue a warrant to open it.
Students were notified of a gun-on-campus incident.
This is the second gun-related incident involving a student on UNF's campus this semester. The other involved a student, 18-year-old James Cameron, firing a gun into the air during an argument in another dorm, according to campus police.
They said Cameron faces several charges, including aggravated assault, and is scheduled to be back in court on Monday.
Campus police said he will have to go through a student-conduct process, and he won't be allowed back on campus until that process is completed.
Gun incidents worry students
Students at UNF said they usually feel safe on campus, but they're on alert now after two incidents involving guns.
“It’s very shocking due to the fact I think we’re a pretty close-knit campus, and I think everybody around here is in the same boat,” sophomore Deja Harris said. “We’re here for a bigger reason -- to fulfill our goals, and just to hear about that, it’s kind of unsettling.”
Junior Tessa Ziu said gun violence is way too common these days, so she always keeps mace and her cellphone with her.
“It gives me a lot of anxiety. I really don’t like guns at all. They totally freak me out; just to have that danger so close and have it be so real, it’s really, really terrifying,” Ziu said. “The story in Vegas, you know, how far away was that guy? That’s crazy. You could be anywhere, and you just never know.”
Ziu and other students said they encourage their classmates to speak up if they hear of someone having a gun on campus.
UNF students are allowed to keep firearms locked up in their vehicles, but they’re not allowed anywhere else on campus.