March 28, 2024

Stoneman Douglas Teacher Arrested after Leaving Gun in Bathroom Stall


Broward Sheriff Deputies surround the men’s bathroom at the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier on Sunday. / Joe Cavarett/Sun Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images


The Marjory Stoneman Douglas chemistry teacher Sean Simpson left a loaded gun in the public restroom and a drunken homeless man found it and fired it.


By Bill Chappell / 04.12.2018


Sean Simpson, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has spoken in favor of gun control efforts and said he might be open to the idea of carrying a gun in class. Now, he’s been arrested after leaving his Glock 9 mm pistol in a bathroom over the weekend.

Simpson told the authorities that he’d forgotten the loaded weapon in a stall in the bathroom at the Deerfield Beach Pier. But before he could retrieve the pistol, the Sun-Sentinel reports, “a drunk homeless man found it and fired it, according to an arrest report from the Broward Sheriff’s Office.”

No one was injured in the incident, but Simpson, 43, was arrested and charged with failing to safely store the weapon. He posted $250 bond, according to local media.

Joseph Spataro, the man who picked up the gun, told police he pulled the trigger to find out whether the weapon was loaded. He’s been charged with firing a weapon while intoxicated and trespassing, Local 10 TV news reports.

Simpson, who is a chemistry teacher, was working at Stoneman Douglas High on the day 17 students were killed in a shooting rampage. After the shooting, the idea of arming teachers gained momentum in some quarters. And while Simpson has said he was open to the idea of getting training to carry a gun inside school, Simpson has also spoken out to praise and support the Parkland, Fla., students who have called for improved gun control, particularly for high-powered, rapid-firing weapons.

“These students are going to stand up, they’re going to speak from their hearts, and they’re not going to be silenced,” Simpson told NBC in an interview during a student march days after the attack.

As for the idea of arming teachers to protect against school shootings, Simpson called it “a tough question.”

“I know there are some of us that are willing to take the training if it was offered and probably be another line of defense,” Simpson told NBC. “But again, that is a complicated subject and I’m not sure if it’s the answer. I think it’s easier to get these types of weapons out of the hands of people that aren’t meant to do anything but kill. They’re not meant for hunting.”

Simpson also talked about the unequal challenge of a school security officer using a pistol to face off against a semi-automatic rifle, saying, “It’s horrible.”

When Local 10 reached Simpson by phone to ask about his arrest, he didn’t offer any comment other than to say he doesn’t think he broke any school rules.

The station reports, “He continues to teach at Stoneman Douglas and a Broward County School Board spokeswoman said the district is not expected to take any professional action against him in the case.”

In the wake of the shootings in Parkland, Florida’s legislature approved a $67 million program that provides funding to school districts to train teachers to carry guns. As NPR reported, “the lawmakers rejected a statewide ban on assault weapons and limits on high-capacity magazines.”

Earlier this week, the Broward School Board unanimously voted “to reject the state’s new program to arm school staff in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shootings,” the Miami Herald reports.


Originally published by NPR, reprinted with permission for non-commercial purposes.