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On Tuesday, an incident that occurred at Miami Palmetto Senior High School led to the arrest of 19-year-old student Deja Iman Williams after she demonstrated a stun gun in front of her classmates, causing unease and disruption. The school, located at 7431 SW 120th St. in Pinecrest, became a scene of concern when staff and students were confronted with Williams activating the device multiple times, WSVN reported.
According to the arrest report, Williams faces charges of possession of a weapon on school property, a third-degree felony, and disruption of an educational institution, a second-degree misdemeanor and upon her arrest, Williams was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, but as of this morning, she was no longer listed in the online jail database, according to a report from Local10.
The situation has raised questions regarding the school's policy and handling of such incidents, especially as reports from NBC Miami suggest Williams habitually carries the stun gun for self-defense due to her night-time job, but this practice clearly conflicts with the district's no-tolerance policy on weapons on campus.
In response to the event, Miami-Dade County Public Schools released a statement asserting that “Miami-Dade County Public Schools is aware of an isolated incident that occurred at Miami Palmetto Senior High earlier this week where a weapon was found on campus. No threats were made, and the matter was handled according to the Code of Student Conduct. As a result of this incident, the individual in question was subsequently arrested by Miami-Dade Schools Police. Please know that the safety and security of our students are of the utmost importance,” but the mother of Deja Iman Williams voiced her concerns to WSVN, puzzled about how her daughter ended with the stun gun and highlighting that her daughter has developmental disabilities which she feels the school should have considered during their response to the situation.
