A routine Friday at Bradford High School in Starke briefly turned into a scare when a school employee reported seeing two 20-year-old men exchanging a shotgun in a parking area next to campus, county officials said. Administrators ordered a short shelter-in-place while deputies swept the grounds. No students were hurt, and classes resumed after law enforcement cleared the scene.
Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith said in a social media post that the encounter unfolded around 12:30 p.m. near the school’s tennis courts, where the employee spotted the men handling a shotgun that was partly covered by a towel, according to Action News Jax. Deputies locked the campus into a “Shelter in Place” status while they secured the area, confirmed that no shots had been fired, and took control of the weapon without incident.
Local reporting identified the suspects as 20-year-old Devin Ramos and 20-year-old Issac Likens. Both were arrested at the scene and face felony counts of possessing a firearm on school property, along with misdemeanor charges for disrupting a school function, according to WCJB. The outlet also reported that the men told deputies they had first met at a convenience store but moved the exchange to the school parking lot because the store was crowded. School leaders allowed normal operations to resume shortly after deputies finished their sweep.
How deputies say the exchange unfolded
Investigators told reporters the two men said they were meeting to hand the shotgun over so it could be traded to a third person in Duval County, according to Action News Jax. They also said they had shifted the meet-up from a convenience store to the school-adjacent parking area because the store was too crowded, according to WCJB. Deputies said they secured the firearm and took both men into custody without any struggle. Authorities have not indicated that students were involved in the transaction or that anyone on campus was being targeted.
Legal implications
Possessing a firearm on school property is banned under Florida law. State statute 790.115 makes willful possession of a weapon on school grounds a felony and outlines additional penalties for exhibiting or discharging weapons at or near schools, according to the statute text. Prosecutors will decide the formal charges and what happens next in the case.
First Coast News and other local outlets shared video and updates based on the sheriff’s initial social media post. Officials have not released a more detailed public statement beyond that early update. We will be watching court filings and any further releases from the sheriff’s office for developments on charges, hearings, and custody status.
