By-Line: Joseph Bober, FCSO
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 14-year-old middle school student who brought a firearm to a high school basketball game.
On January 31, Deputy Dennis King, a school resource deputy at Matanzas High School, was alerted to a photo that was circulating on social media of a student holding a handgun in a school bathroom. Several students identified the photo’s subject as Omari Sharif, a 14-year-old student at Indian Trails Middle School.
The photo that circulated on social media shows Omar Sharif posing with a handgun inside the bathroom at a Matanzas High School basketball game.
Deputy King and Deputy Thomas Douglas, the school resource deputy at Indian Trails Middle School, reviewed surveillance footage from the MHS basketball game held the previous night. In the footage, deputies observed Sharif wearing the same clothing as in the photo and entering the bathroom several times during the game. At one point, Sharif entered the bathroom with three other ITMS students who then ran out of the bathroom minutes later.
Deputy Douglas spoke to Sharif and informed him of the ongoing investigation. Deputy Douglas also informed Sharif that deputies were applying for a search warrant for his cell phone and that Sharif would need to give up his phone. Sharif denied involvement and refused to hand over his phone, instead attempting to leave the room. When Deputy Douglas advised Sharif that he needed to remain in the room and hand over his phone, Sharif became resistive. After a brief altercation, Sharif was secured and placed in handcuffs.
Sharif was arrested for Resisting an Officer with Violence. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility for processing, where the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice directed that he be released to a parent.
After Sharif was arrested, Deputy Douglas and Sergeant Shane Meehan spoke with several ITMS students. One student, who was identified as one of the three other students entering the bathroom with Sharif in the surveillance footage, stated that he witnessed Sharif lift his shirt to reveal the gun, leading him and two other students to run out of the bathroom.
On February 14, the search warrant for Sharif’s phone was served by the FCSO Digital Forensics Unit. Detectives located several photos of Sharif with the gun, which were confirmed to be geographically located at MHS during the time of the basketball game. During the investigation, it was determined that Sharif told other students that he had disposed of the gun and claimed he no longer had possession of it.
Sharif was additionally arrested on February 19 for the Exhibition of a Weapon on School Property. After being processed at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, he was transferred to the Volusia County Juvenile Detention Center.
Omar Sharif (Flagler County Jail Mugshot)
“If you bring a weapon onto school grounds, you will be arrested,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “I commend the students who notified our School Resource Deputy of the photo that was circulating on social media. In this case, the ‘see something, say something’ may have averted a tragedy that was in the making. Parents, we have a zero-tolerance policy, so you need to be the Sheriff in your own home. Make sure that you know what your child is up to and monitor their social media posts.”
“Flagler Schools appreciates the proactive approach to safety the men and women of the FCSO provide to our students, faculty, and staff during school hours, as well as public events held on our campuses throughout the week,” said LaShakia Moore, Flagler Schools Superintendent. “Please note that our commitment to safety extends beyond school hours. We will collaborate with the FCSO to identify and prosecute any individuals who commit crimes on our campus during school hours, as well as at public events held on our campuses.”
The gun has not been recovered. If you know the whereabouts of the gun, please submit a tip by calling 386-313-4911, emailing TIPS@flaglersheriff.com, using the FCSO app or website, or through the FortifyFL app at getfortifyfl.com.
