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Alachua County, FL - A first-grade student accidentally brought a backpack containing a loaded gun to a Florida elementary school.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, the student inadvertently brought a backpack containing a loaded gun to Meadowbrook Elementary School in Gainesville around 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
The discovery was made by the first-grade teacher, leading to an immediate response from law enforcement to ensure the safety of all students and staff.
Deputies were dispatched to Meadowbrook Elementary School in response to the incident.
The school resource deputy secured and stored the firearm in a safe location away from the premises.
Sheriff's officials disclosed that the student in possession of the firearm had not brought a backpack to school for months.
In an effort to facilitate the transportation of materials home, the teacher requested that the student's parent provide a bag.
The parent instructed the first-grader to retrieve an old backpack from the trunk of their vehicle, unaware of the firearm's presence within it.
According to police, the mother typically stored the firearm in the glovebox or under the driver's seat of the vehicle.
However, the mother lent the vehicle to another family member who, feeling uncomfortable with the firearm in the car, placed it in the backpack stored in the trunk without informing the mother.
The family member, unaware that the backpack belonged to the child, inadvertently contributed to the incident by unknowingly placing the firearm in the bag that the student later took to school.
Following a thorough investigation, it was determined that no criminal charges will be filed in this case.
The Department of Children and Family Services has been contacted to conduct further follow-up.