Parkland teacher arrested for leaving a loaded gun in a restroom

  • Sean Simpson, 43, has been charged with failing to safely store his weapon
  • He left a loaded gun in a restroom at at the Deerfield Beach Pier on Sunday
  • A 69-year-old homeless man picked it up and shot it but no one was injured 
  • Simpson has said he’d be willing to be trained to carry a weapon at the school
  • He is a chemistry teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School  

Sean Simpson, 43, teaches chemistry at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

A chemistry teacher at the Florida school where 17 people were shot to death has been arrested for leaving a loaded gun in a public restroom. 

Authorities say 43-year-old Sean Simpson, who carries a concealed weapons permit, left his Glock 9 mm in a restroom at the Deerfield Beach Pier on Sunday.

The teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School told deputies he was returning to get it when he heard a gunshot, and found a drunk 69-year-old homeless man holding the pistol.  

Simpson was able to snatch the gun from the homeless man and no one was injured by the single bullet, which hit a wall, according to a Broward Sheriff’s report cited by ABC10.

He was arrested and charged with failing to safely store his weapon but was released on $250 bond.

During an MSNBC appearance shortly after Nicolas Cruz went on a rampage at the Florida high school, Simpson said he would be open to being armed on the job.  

‘I know there are some of us that are willing to take the training if it was offered and probably be another line of defense,’ he said. 

However, Simpson has also supported the gun-control efforts of the school’s student activists.

He added: ‘But again that is a complicated subject and I’m not sure if it’s the answer. I think it’s easier to get these types of weapons out of the hands of people that aren’t meant to do anything but kill.’ 

The teacher was arrested after he left a loaded gun in a public restroom at the beach in Florida. He has said he'd be willing to be trained to carry a weapon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 were killed in a shooting in February 

The teacher was arrested after he left a loaded gun in a public restroom at the beach in Florida. He has said he’d be willing to be trained to carry a weapon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 were killed in a shooting in February 

Vagrant Joseph Spataro has been charged with firing a weapon while intoxicated and trespassing. He allegedly told cops he fired the gun to see if it was loaded.

‘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 told ABC10 that he did not think his offense violated school boar rules and he continues to teach at Stoneman Douglas.

A spokesperson for the Broward County School Board said no action is expected against Simpson. 

He was charged with failing to safely store his weapon but was released on $250 bond (Pictured is Deerfield Beach Pier)

He was charged with failing to safely store his weapon but was released on $250 bond (Pictured is Deerfield Beach Pier)

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