MELBOURNE, Fla. – A 17-year-old Melbourne boy was arrested Friday on allegations of trying to enter a school with a loaded handgun, police said.
No one was injured in the incident, which happened around 9 a.m. at Palm Bay Magnet High School.
Melbourne police said the OPENGATE Weapons Detection system at the school alerted officials about the weapon, which was “immediately confiscated.”
“The student did not make it beyond the security checkpoint and there are no known threats at this time,” police said in a statement. “We commend the vigilance and professionalism of the staff, whose swift response ensured the safety of everyone on campus.”
Brevard Public Schools said the detection system “potentially saved lives today.”
The student, whose name has not been released, was arrested on charges of possession of a firearm on school grounds and possession of a firearm by a minor.
“It breaks my heart to see what’s going on with this world,” grandparent Cathy Fratos said. “Shootings and kids, it’s horrible.”
All students and staff are safe.
“They caught him really fast,” senior Alexa Nichols said. “He couldn’t even get into the school.”
Students and families talking to Melbourne Community Correspondent James Sparvero told him the metal detectors make their school more secure.
“It makes me feel a lot safer knowing that it actually works because we never had anything like this happen here before, so knowing that they got somebody with it, like the first time it happened, is nice to know,” Nichols said.
The OPENGATE system was introduced in Brevard County at Melbourne High School last year.
The district said they’re in every high school now and would like to put them in all middle schools next year.
In February, Brevard Public Schools said the metal detectors caught a student with a gun at Cocoa High School.
No one was hurt in that incident, either.
“I think now we’ve had two instances where we have caught a weapon before it got on campus, where we kept kids safe, and I think families see that,” said Janet Murnaghan with the district’s communications department. “They see the value.”