Rumors of an armed student shut down the Oviedo High School homecoming dance early last weekend. Now, the student who was believed to have a gun has been charged.
Though police and the school district reported that no gun was found on the student in question or nearby, the 15-year-old is being charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm on school property, improper exhibition of a firearm and unlawful possession by a minor. Oviedo authorities are basing these charges on multiple statements from students who claim to have seen the high schooler brandish a gun.
“Our investigation to date concluded that there were no shots fired at OHS on Saturday night, and no firearm was found. These charges are the result of a thorough investigation, including witness statements, Oviedo Police Department shared in a statement.
The timeline of events shared by Oviedo PD claims that the student was removed from the dance by school authorities because he was on suspension. An altercation outside the school led to several calls to police, claiming that the suspect had a gun and had fired it. This latter detail was denied in initial reports from the school and police. Their investigation found no weapon or spent ammunition. The charges are entirely based on witness statements.
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This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2021.