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Florida Elementary School Students Charged Over Alleged Handgun Transaction, Police Say

Gun Shop Near Ferguson Sees Increase In Business Ahead Of Awaited Grand Jury Decision

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Mia Hernandez Contributor
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Two 10-year-old students in Florida were arrested and charged after reports that the elementary students had exchanged a handgun, according to Hendry County Sheriff’s Office.

Country Oaks Elementary went into lockdown on Wednesday due to a parent calling school administrator reporting that their child said a fellow student had a gun in their possession, New York Post reported. Hendry County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report alongside the elementary school. (RELATED: REPORT: Gun Found In Backpack Of 8-Year-Old Student Who Allegedly Threatened Fellow Student At Brooklyn School)
Hendry County Sheriff’s office discovered the two students made a deal to exchange the firearm for $300 in early February. The firearm belonged to the deceased father of the student selling the gun.
The handgun was discovered inside a backpack under a shed in the student’s backyard, according to the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office. Along with the firearm, investigators also found a baggie containing 74 grams of marijuana.

Both elementary school students were arrested and charged for the exchange.

The student selling the handgun was charged with Sale/Purchase of a Firearm by a Minor, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Minor, Possession of a Firearm on School Property and Possession of Marijuana over 20 grams, while the other student was charged with Selling of a Firearm to a Minor, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Minor, Possession of a Firearm on School Property and Grand Theft of a Firearm, according to the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office.

The mother of the student who sold the gun is a Hendry County Sheriff’s Office Deputy. She is on Administrative Leave pending an Administrative Inquiry.

The Department of Juvenile Justice has custody of the two students at this time.