Local

Shooting prompts Ribault High to add metal detectors

JACKSONVILLE, FL. — Ribault High School students will go to school Monday through metal detectors after a shooting Friday injured an 18-year-old.

The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Duval County Public Schools has portable metal detectors for each of its high schools.

Starting Monday, the principal at Ribault said students will go through mandatory screening for the rest of the year as a result of Friday’s shooting.

Community advocates say that’s a temporary fix for safety, but call for increased programs to reduce gun violence within schools.

Donald Foy, the president of the Jacksonville chapter of MADDADS, said they need to engage students and improve relationships between youth and police officers.

“The program has to be something that draws the kids' attention,” Foy told Action News Jax reporter Robert Grant.

“Law enforcement is there to protect us. There’s just a communication breakdown that needs to be healed.”

Foy said someone likely knew the suspect had a gun and should have stepped up and said something, whether a friend or family member.

Foy also added that the city needs to do more to keep guns off the streets so that youth don’t have access.

Councilman Reggie Gaffney, who represents Dirstrict 7, said, “we need to try to preach to these young kids that if we put all the guns down and love each other, then the violence will cease.”

He went on to say, “As leaders we’ve got so much more teaching to do. To teach kids that’s not the answer. If you see something, say something so it won’t get to the point where a kid has to bring a gun to school.”