A student at Hillsborough High School was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after being discovered with a loaded gun on campus.
On August 31, 2022, the school resource officer at Hillsborough High School, located at 5000 Central Avenue in Tampa, was notified by an anonymous student that another student was in possession of a firearm on campus.
The SRO immediately attempted to locate the student, who was not in her designated class. The SRO and school staff were able to locate the female student during dismissal near the bus ramp. She was escorted to the gymnasium where her backpack was searched. The student was found to be in possession of a loaded 9mm firearm wrapped in a t-shirt inside her bag. Jayleen Hernandez, 15, was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm on school property (felony) and minor in possession of a firearm (misdemeanor). The investigation into this incident, including how Hernandez was able to gain access to a gun and her motive for bringing the weapon on campus, is ongoing.
"There is no greater priority for our officers than student safety, and we are thankful that our SRO took the information shared with him seriously, taking action to find this student and secure a weapon that could have been used to cause serious harm to others," said Chief Mary O'Connor. "Just one month into the new school year, I cannot stress enough that it is critical for students, teachers and staff to speak up when they are made aware of a threat such as this. See Something, Say Something. In this case, it could have saved lives."