By-Line: Joseph Bober, FCSO
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 13-year-old student at Buddy Taylor Middle School after he brought a realistic-looking BB gun to school.
On January 29, school officials overheard two students talking about a student who had a gun. The student in question, Brandon Doan, 13, was then brought to the dean’s office. In Doan’s backpack, school officials located a replica Glock 18C BB gun. School officials then contacted Deputy Jordan Taylor, BTMS’s school resource deputy.
Deputy Taylor observed the BB gun, which had its orange tip removed making it appear to be a real firearm. Deputy Taylor then interviewed Doan, who explained that he was being bullied and had brought the BB gun to campus to protect himself. Doan stated that he had not informed any school staff that he was being bullied because he did not believe they would do anything about it.
Deputy Taylor spoke to Doan about the consequences of bringing a weapon to school and informed him the incident could have been much worse had he brandished the weapon. Doan later stated that he was not thinking and realized he had made a mistake.
During the investigation, it was determined that Doan’s parent had purchased the BB gun for him thinking it was a toy. Florida law requires that anyone under 16 years old may only use a BB gun under supervision by an adult.
Doan was arrested for Possession of a Weapon or Firearm on School Property and Possession of a BB Gun Under the Age of 16. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he was turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and later released to his parents.
“It’s an unfortunate situation that this child felt he needed to protect himself, but bringing a weapon to school, even if it is not real, is not the solution,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “In the last two weeks, we have made multiple arrests of students. Parents need to know and understand the law on BB guns and never remove or paint over the orange caps that tell others the ‘gun’ is a replica. This could have had a tragic and deadly outcome. I commend the school faculty that ‘heard something, said something’ and took immediate action.”
“Flagler Schools prioritizes the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement to uphold a safe learning environment for all,” said Flagler Schools.
