Lennard High School man shot, student arrested

RUSKIN, Fla. – There was no threat to students at Lennard High School after a man was found shot dead on campus Thursday morning, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said they were alerted at 10:30 a.m. to a man arriving at South Bay Hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Sheriff Chad Chronister told a news conference. Detectives determined that the man accidentally shot himself in the Lennard High School parking lot.

The deputies immediately contacted the school resource assistant, who notified the school administration, the agency said. Administrators then placed the school on lockdown.

According to the sheriff’s office, detectives determined the man was a former student who traveled to campus daily to meet a friend who still attended the school. On Thursday morning, the former student got into the friend’s vehicle, discovered the gun and accidentally shot himself.

The student was identified, removed from his class and detained, according to the sheriff’s office. He was taken into custody for possession of a weapon on school property. Students at Lennard High School were sheltering in place, but the lockdown was later lifted.

“This is not an active shooter situation and there is no immediate threat to student safety,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a statement. Tweeter.

The sheriff’s office has not released any information on the man’s condition since he was injured.

“I cannot thank or commend the school administrators enough for their professionalism and sense of urgency in protecting staff and students here at Lennard High School,” Chronister said in a statement. “Although this firearm has not been brought into the classroom, we take the threat of a firearm on campus very seriously. School safety and security is a top priority.”