A student is in custody Friday after possessing a loaded handgun at school, according to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office.
The suspect is 15 and was not identified. The sheriff's office said the teen attends Sebastian River High School.
The student reportedly was asking the store a backpack in the main office and asking how it would be stored.
That made the main office staff uneasy so the Indian River County Sheriff's Office was called. The backpack was searched and officials said a handgun was recovered.
"It wasn't unusual for him to leave the backpack in the office. The unusual thing was the interaction and the behavior of the student, which our teachers and staff are really trained to be in tune with," said Indian River County School District Public Information Officer Cristen Maddux.
Investigators determined the gun was stolen from a car in Sebastian on Oct. 27.
Sebastian police said the 15-year-old admitted to stealing the weapon.
The Indian River County School District sent this robocall to parents on Friday:
"An incident occurred on our campus this morning that involved one of our students bringing a weapon on campus in their backpack. Due to our 'See something, say something' policy, a student’s suspicious behavior was brought to the attention of school administration and on-campus resource officers. The student’s backpack was immediately searched, and the student in question was apprehended and taken into custody by our IRCSO resource officers. An active investigation is in progress on campus. Our students and campus routine were not disturbed, and our school day is continuing normally. We would like to thank our staff who came forward with this information, and the Indian River County Sheriff’s office for their immediate action and investigation."
Authorities said multiple charges are expected to be filed in the case.