School police confiscated a firearm after a fight broke out at Ribault High School Wednesday morning, according to Duval County Public Schools.
DCPS said two students planned a fight outside the school and a group of trespassers came onto the campus and joined the altercation.
The mother of a Ribault student who didn't want to be identified told Action News Jax her daughter and nephew were playing basketball with the targeted student when the brawl broke out.
The fight involved teens from another school and parents, the mother said.
Snapchat video shows the brawl inside the school's gym, where someone is seen pinned to the floor and getting hit.
"My nephew said they came to fight another kid and since they were playing basketball, they started fighting," the mother said.
The mother described the fight as deliberate and a calculated incident.
"They was let inside the gym by one of the students kin to them when they started the fight," the mother said.
The mother also said some of the adults let in had guns.
"She was in the gym. All the sudden, these grown folks come jumping. If the gun hadn’t fell, someone would have got shot."
There were about six DCPS police cars swarming the school and Action News Jax saw one man in the back of one.
DCPS said the gun was found on one of the trespassers on campus.
Sharon Kelly was seen walking away from the Ribault High School gym with a black gun in her right hand, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
When an officer told Kelly to put down the gun and get on the ground, she yelled, "It's my gun, it's registered to me!" and tried to put the gun in a black case.
According to investigators, Kelly was arrested after the officer asked her a second time to put the gun down and she complied.
Assistant principal Ronnie Williams said all students and staff were safe.
"An incident occurred this morning in which both school and security teams were able to intervene to insure the safety of our campus," Williams said in a message sent to parents. "Just after school began, two students engaged in a planned fight outside the building. As staff worked to separate the students, a group of trespassers joined the altercation. Duval County School Police and administrators were able to intervene and immediately detain all participants. While the individuals were in custody and being searched, school police confiscated a firearm from one of the trespassers."
Duval County Public Schools released the following statement:
"Violence on our campuses is unacceptable. We are incredibly thankful that students and staff remained safe and Duval County School Police and staff were able to intervene, stop the fight, detain the individuals and confiscate a firearm from one of the trespassers. As a result of this incident, one individual was arrested. Please know that we take all threats to the security of our campuses seriously, and there will be an increased security presence at the school on Thursday. Additionally, the school is working with district operations and security teams to conduct a safety review of the campus and determine if any further action needs to be taken."
About the Author
