Part of the resulting dialogue after the Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting involved a push for armed teachers by President Trump, who grew visibly huffy when challenged on the idea. The proposal, which already wasn’t popular with the public at large, took some hits after an armed Georgia teacher barricaded himself in a classroom after firing shots, and a Northern California educator accidentally injured a student during a public safety class. Now a Stoneman Douglas chemistry teacher is in hot water after leaving his loaded Glock 9mm in a public restroom with nearly disastrous consequences.
CBS Miami reports that Sean Simpson, who publicly expressed a willingness to arm himself while on duty, “forgot to pick the gun back up” after using the restroom at Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier in Fort Lauderdale. The Miami Herald reports word from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, which says that a drunk homeless man entered the restroom, picked up the gun, and fired it into a wall before Simpson reentered the restroom. Fortunately, no one was hurt during the incident, but both men were arrested and charged:
Simpson was able to grab the gun away from the vagrant, Joseph Spataro, who was charged with firing a weapon while intoxicated and trespassing.
As for the MSD teacher, he was arrested and charged with failing to safely store a firearm, a second-degree misdemeanor. Simpson posted a $250 cash bond and was released.
Via the local ABC News affiliate, Simpson probably won’t face any disciplinary action at work. The station talked to Simpson, who pointed out that he was legally authorized to carry his Glock, and he didn’t break any school board rules. Still, this incident could have turned out much worse for all involved and won’t do anything to support the argument for arming teachers while on duty.
(Via CBS Miami, Miami Herald & Local 10)