Who is Reginald McCoy? Dad charged after girl, 6, brings gun to school he forgot in her bag
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA: A South Florida father is being charged with felong after his 6-year-old daughter brought a gun to school. Homestead police said that after they were informed that a student had been discovered in possession of a pistol, officers were dispatched to the Keys Gate Charter School located at 2000 SE 28th Ave.
Investigators determined the father of the child, 39-year-old Reginald McCoy, put the gun in the backpack and forgot it due to unknown reasons when the student was brought to school. Police said the weapon was discovered in the child's backpack. However, the gun wasn't shot or held by the child and there were no injuries or a threat to anyone reported, 10 Local reported.
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As per a statement issued by the school, the gun was spotted by a student who reported it to an adult. The gun, however, as per the information, was not loaded. A copy of a statement that was distributed to parents by a Keys Gate Charter School representative.
It read in part, "We are so proud of a student who saw a suspicious item and immediately reported this to a trusted adult. The item turned out to be an unloaded weapon brought by a young student. We immediately involved law enforcement and no students or staff were ever in any danger.”
The outlet said that McCoy was arrested on Thursday, January 26, and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and is facing charges of child neglect, which is a third-degree felony, and culpable negligence. He is being held on a $5,500 bond.
Keys Gate Charter School is governed by Florida Charter Educational Foundation, Inc. and is a member of the Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) family of schools as per the information on its Facebook page. "It is a tuition-free public charter school educating students in grades K-8 who reside in Florida."
Notably, the school shooting at Newport News Virginia shocked the nation earlier this month when a 6-year-old student shot a teacher named Abigail Zwerner. The child shot her after getting into an altercation in a classroom. Zwerner, after surgeries and physical therapy, is recuperating at home. The investigators haven't revealed details as to how the child got access to the gun and was brought to the school. The family has since defended the action through an attorney by stating that the gun was secured.