PALATKA, Fla. — A firearm brought onto campus at Palatka Junior-Senior High School Monday triggered a lockdown and led to the arrest of four students, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
The situation began when a student overheard classmates discussing a gun at school and reported it to administrators. School officials immediately placed the campus on lockdown while authorities investigated.
Deputies determined that Labron Keenon, 16; Anthony Francis, 16; Zamarion Henderson, 17; and Somarion Coley, 15, had exchanged text messages about a firearm that was allegedly broken and discussed fixing it. Investigators say the gun was passed among the four students during the school day, with each taking possession of it at some point.
During the lockdown, all four students were removed from class and the firearm was located. Authorities confirmed there was only one gun involved.
While being processed at the Putnam County Jail, deputies found a THC vape in Henderson’s pocket. He was additionally charged with introduction of contraband into a jail facility and possession of marijuana.
All four students were charged with possession of a firearm on a school campus, a third-degree felony, and disruption of a school function, a misdemeanor. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges could be filed.
Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach criticized the students’ actions, noting the community is still grieving the recent loss of a student killed in an accidental shooting.
“When we have a school still reeling from the death of one of their own, these four have to bring a gun on campus,” DeLoach said. “Clearly they have no clue about the seriousness of playing with a firearm. They disrupted school, caused chaos, and for what purpose?”
The students were booked into the Putnam County Jail before being transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Volusia County.
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