Jacksonville officer’s gun accidentally fires while checking school threat

Jacksonville, FL — A false threat led to a brief lockdown at Jefferson Davis Middle School today, and a Jacksonville officer’s gun was accidentally discharged while investigating on scene.

A message from the Duval County School District to parents of students at the school says the threat was first called in to JSO. JSO says they received two 911 calls about a shooting at the school. They responded, cleared the campus, and determined the claims were false.

JSO confirms an officer unintentionally discharged a duty weapon. It happened outside of the school, hitting the sidewalk and causing minor surface damage, according to JSO.

“While it is very upsetting that someone would make a false threat against the school and disrupt campus- and even more upsetting that a weapon was discharged- we are appreciative for the calm and composure of our students and staff during a stressful situation,” says the DCPS message to parents.

DCPS says all students and staff were safe through the day, and JSO says no students or staff were present at the time of the accidental gun discharge.

DCPS says they are investigating the source of the original threat, while JSO will investigate the accidental gun discharge. JSO classifies that as an administrative investigation.

JSO says the officer involved in this incident is 12-year veteran P. H. Thach. JSO says during an administrative investigation, employment status is determined based on several factors, including the severity of the incident and likelihood of future misconduct. Based on that, JSO says this officer has not been placed on administrative leave.