FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 15-year-old student was found with a gun on a high school campus in Broward the same morning another teen arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound, leading Fort Lauderdale police to say the two incidents were connected.
At approximately 9:06 am, a Fort Lauderdale police detail officer responded to Broward Health Medical Center after being advised of a 16-year-old male who had arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound.
Police said the teenager told officers that he accidentally shot himself in the 1100 block of Northwest 24th Avenue.
Authorities confirmed his injuries were non-life threatening.
Sky 10 flew over the scene just after 11 a.m. where Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies and police officers were surveilling in front of a Church’s Chicken located near the 2400 block of W. Sunrise Boulevard, just a few blocks away from the school.
Moments after the shooting, a student at Dillard High School, who police identified as 15-year-old Kaylon Hubbard Jr. was found on campus with a gun in a backpack that was in his possession.
Police said additional evidence consistent with the shooting was also discovered in the backpack and on the 16-year-old at the hospital.
Investigators said school staff became aware of the gun on campus after performing an administrative search of Hubbard’s belongings and immediately notified the school resource officer.
Dillard High School Principal Cassandra Robinson told parents in a statement Thursday that no threats were made to the school and any point during the incident and the student was arrested.
Parents told Local 10 News that they want more done to make the school safer.
“I am afraid for my daughters,” said parent George Bowden, whose kids attend Dillard High School. “I think they need a metal detector upon entering the gates of school before they get in, that way they can catch the weapon before they get in there.”
Students at the school told Local 10 News they were not notified about the gun found but only put on lockdown.
Police have not identified the teen who was shot.
Dillard High School Principal Cassandra Robinson released the following statement regarding the on-campus incident Thursday morning, which you can read here:
Anyone with questions or concerns is urged to contact the school’s administration department at 754-322-0800.
Anyone who may have witnessed either incident is also encouraged to contact the FLPD at 954-828-5700.