Florida 3rd grader called a 'hero' for preventing possible school shooting

(FOX) - A Florida third grader is being called a hero for possibly preventing a school shooting after he reported a classmate who brought a loaded gun to school on Thursday.

Eight-year-old Blake Johnson was in the boy's bathroom at Hudson Elementary School in Hudson, Fla., when another student showed him a loaded 9 mm pistol that he pulled from his backpack.

"He pulled it out, like, and pointed it at the wall," Johnson told WFLA. "He said 'If you tell,' he'll kill me."

The third grader received a pass to the bathroom, where he met up with three other students, one of whom was holding a backpack.

“I just said, 'What’s in the bag?' And then the kid responds and said, 'It’s a gun.' And then I said, 'Can I see it?' And he pulled it out” Blake told WFLA.

The other student -- who was also only 8 years old -- took the gun out of the backpack and showed it off. Blake waited for the other students to leave before he informed the security guard, according to the outlet.

“I told the security officer that kid had a gun and then I told him which backpack and the kid,” he said.

Captain Chris Beaman of the Pasco Sheriff's Office told the outlet that when the backpack was searched by security, they found the 9 mm Sig Sauer handgun, adding that the weapon was loaded.

“It frustrates me as a law enforcement officer who started this profession to protect, to even think of a possibility of what could have happened,” said Captain Beaman after the incident.

The student who brought the handgun to school faces possible criminal charges, will likely be suspended for 10 days and may face expulsion, according to WFLA.

When Pasco police visited the apartment where Blake lives, they expressed appreciation for his brave actions.

“They called me a hero,” Blake told WFLA.

Johnson's mother, Laynie, says she found out about the incident after the school principal sent a message to parents explaining what happened, adding she didn't know her 8-year-old boy was the one who decided to get help.

"Sure enough, he comes home and tells the whole nine yards," she said. "He was the one who actually saw the gun, and took the initiative to go get the help. I'm happy that he knows what to do and I'm happy that he was brave enough to do it. I'm very proud."

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