Investigators work to learn how 14-year-old acquired gun, why he brought it to school

A Southwest Florida teenager is locked up until his next court date after being accused of bringing a loaded gun to school. A gun was reportedly found in a student’s backpack unexpectedly when he was being searched for a vape pen.

Cape Coral Police Department is  working to learn how a 14-year-old student brought a gun to campus, and the teen’s parents says they don’t own a firearm. The student is not talking. His mom is not talking, and police have not released further information.

Thursday, a 14-year-old student was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to Caloosa Middle School in Cape Coral, causing a lockdown on the campus and the neighboring Caloosa Elementary School campus.

School District of Lee County and CCPD said students, teachers and faculty were never in any danger before the student was detained, and the gun was taken away from him.

We confirmed Friday someone scratched off the serial numbers of the gun investigators say was in the student’s possession, which will make it more difficult for detectives to track down the owner.

“We would run the serial number,” CCPD Master Sgt. Patrick O’Grady said. “We would run the make and model because some guns may have the same serial number but a different make and model, and once we run it if it comes back stolen, we would know who the owner is.”

Teachers and students returned to Caloosa Middle Friday, but the events of the previous day have not been erased from the minds of parents sending the kids to school.

“I tried to calm down a little bit. I called, tried to call the school a couple times, but their phones were busy,” said Leydi Mejia, a parent of a Caloosa Middle student who spoke to WINK News Thursday.

CCPD won’t get into specifics of the investigation, only to say it started out as a search for something else.

“They brought the student into their office, and they were going to the backpack,” O’Grady said. “They couldn’t find a vape pens, so they were searching the bag, and they found a handgun.”

Police did say the student told them he did not have any issues with any other students. The District told us the middle schooler will be expelled for at least one year.

The student will remain in juvenile custody for the next 21 days while detectives try to answer two critical questions:

• Where did the middle schooler get the gun?
• Why did he bring it to class?