The school day had just come to an end at Florence K-8 in Florence, Arizona when 8-year-old Amayah Moore, visibly upset, ran outside to meet her dad.
“Our daughter got into the truck after school and was crying and shaking,” said Nicole Moore, Amayah' mother. "She said a little boy had showed her a gun."
Moore said Amayah told her husband that a fellow second grader showed her the gun in his backpack and after promising the boy she wouldn’t tell, walked away and immediately told school staff.
“I was scared and nervous to tell the principal,” Amayah said.
“She was afraid that if she overreacted something bad might happen,” Moore said.
Amayah’s father rushed to the school’s office and said the principal confirmed a second grade student brought a gun to school and that it was immediately confiscated.
The school has since released a statement to parents saying the gun was not loaded and the student had no bullets.
The Florence Police Department, who is investigating what happened, told 12 News the student brought it to campus for show-and-tell and that no students were in danger.
“As a parent it's scary,” said Mike Pacheco, who has two children attending the elementary school. “I don't know what I would do without these kids.”
Pacheco, is still in shock nobody mentioned the incident when he picked up his kids from school that afternoon.
“They didn't say anything, there was no lockdown, nothing,” he said.
Pacheco found out by a robocall the school sent out to parents.
“It was real nonchalant like nothing, ‘oh it was unloaded,'" Pacheco said.
“It’s kind of shocking because it is a big deal,” Moore said.
According to Amayah, the little boy had shown the gun to several students throughout the day but nobody told a teacher or other staff because they were scared.
While she’s thankful her daughter did the right thing, Moore believes the school didn’t take a gun at school, even if it was unloaded more seriously.
“These kids need to know how dangerous a gun is and what it can do, don't be scared to tell an adult,” she said.
The Florence Unified School District forwarded us this email that was sent out to parents Wednesday. The emailed was signed by Richard Franco, the director of public relations.
"Today at the FK8 it was reported to administration towards the end of the day by a second grade student that another second grader brought a gun to school. Administration searched this student’s backpack immediately and found an unloaded gun. The Florence Police Department was notified immediately and they are continuing to investigate the situation. We are grateful that no one was hurt today; however, this gives us an opportunity to talk to our children about the importance of not bringing weapons to school and also the importance of notifying an adult immediately when they witness anyone having anything inappropriate at school. Furthermore, we all should take the time to ensure all of our personal items are under the correct lock and key. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Florence K-8 front office during normal business hours. Thank you and have a good day.”