Two Central Florida teens, ages 14 and 15, have been arrested after posting an Instagram story showing off a gun inside a school bathroom.
The 15-year-old student, Isaiah Jones of Deltona, has been charged with bringing a gun on campus at Galaxy Middle School in Deltona and a second 14-year-old student, Zy’Qwan Stafford, who was seen in the Instagram video also has been arrested. Detectives identified Zy’Qwan in the video, then determined he was a willing participant in the incident and never notified school authorities about the presence of a firearm at school.
Deputies were notified of the Instagram story last week and identified Jones and another student in a video that appeared to take place in a Galaxy Middle School boys’ restroom.
In the video, Jones pointed a handgun at the camera, removed the magazine and showed that it contained at least one round of ammunition.
When confronted by deputies, Jones admitted to recording the video in the restroom but said it was recorded in the past.
Police noted that Zy’Qwan has also been charged by the DeLand Police Department in a shooting that was reported May 7th. In that case, the gunshot victim arrived at a hospital in Altamonte Springs for treatment of a gunshot wound to the leg. Initially, the location of the shooting was undetermined. Sheriff’s detectives interviewed the victim and determined he was shot in the city of DeLand. The shooting stemmed from an altercation over a fake $100 bill exchanged for marijuana. In another odd note, this is a separate “fake $100 bill for marijuana” criminal incident from the one that prompted another shooting incident recently in Deltona, as using fake money to buy drugs is apparently becoming a thing in Central Florida.
Local police also said they were still searching for the actual gun displayed in the Instagram video at Galaxy Middle School. Interviews with the juveniles involved indicated it was stolen from another student, who stole it from a vehicle. While detectives initially believed the gun was the same one discovered stolen from a vehicle May 5th in Deltona, it’s since been determined the gun seen in the Instagram video doesn’t match that firearm.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood issued a reminder to gun owners that weapons left unsecured in vehicles are prime targets for theft, and can easily end up in the wrong hands with potentially tragic results.
Additional charges are pending in the active investigation, according to law enforcement.
