Man, you really can’t make this stuff up, and if the stakes weren’t so high and the repercussions so tragic, it would be hilarious.
But alas, here we are.
According to the Miami Herald, the ridiculous scenario began Sunday in a men’s room at Broward County, Fla’s Deerfield Beach Pier, where a gun—a Glock 9 mm, to be precise—was left in the bathroom stall. That gun, it turns out, belonged to Sean Simpson, a teacher at Parkland, Fla.’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who has coincidentally been extremely vocal about being willing to arm himself while on duty, if it were permitted, to protect students.
What better way to inspire confidence than to leave your gun in a public bathroom stall, Simpson?
The chemistry teacher told the Broward County Sheriff’s Office that he’d left the gun in the stall by accident, and by the time he realized what he’d done, his weapon was in the hands of a drunk, homeless man who had already picked it up and fired. A bullet struck a wall.
Simpson managed to get the gun from the man, identified as Joseph Spataro. Spataro was charged with firing a weapon while intoxicated and with trespassing.
Simpson, however, is also facing the music for his actions, and has been arrested and charged with failing to safely store a firearm.
“There was a reasonable likelihood that the firearm could have ended up in the hands of a child or the discharge of the firearm could have wounded another person or child,” deputies wrote in the arrest report.
Simpson, however, posted his $250 cash bond and was soon released.
He refused to comment on his criminal case but told Local 10 that he did not believe he violated any of the school board rules. That news station notes that he is still employed at Stoneman Douglas, and a Broward County School Board spokesperson said that the district is not expected to take professional action against Simpson.