A middle school student in Florida was charged as an adult after authorities accused him of making homemade firearms and explosives to carry out a robbery. The arrest came earlier this year, and officials shared details about the case this week.
Details of the Investigation
Authorities began investigating 14-year-old Julian Davis and his 13-year-old friend on April 27. This followed a tip received by St. Johns County sheriff’s deputies about the boys messaging each other on Telegram. They discussed plans to ‘hold someone at gunpoint’ to commit a robbery, according to an arrest report. The texts included information on assembling a shotgun and a musket and acquiring zip ties.
Sheriff Robert Hardwick and federal investigators addressed the public on this case for the first time during a Friday press conference. Officials charged Davis, who showed an unhealthy interest in school shooters, hoping to prevent a potential ‘tragedy’ at the school or in the community.
Julian Davis was arrested on April 30 and charged with various offenses related to firearms and explosives. While Davis was charged as an adult, his 13-year-old friend was not. Thus, his identity remains anonymous.
Items Found and Implications
Searches between April 27 and 30 in Davis’ home revealed three homemade firearms, ammunition, suspected explosive materials, and other concerning items. There were notes detailing weapons construction and even a drawing resembling a Molotov cocktail. Additionally, a tactical vest with racist symbols and a manifesto by Brenton Tarrant, a known white supremacist, were found.
Further search results included a U.S. Army improvised munitions manual and “The Anarchist Cookbook,” notorious for explosive and weapon creation instructions. The sheriff stated that Davis’s plan involved a person called CJ, but this individual remains unidentified. Sheriff Hardwick suggested these plans indicated more than a simple robbery attempt.
Consequences and Outcomes
Davis’ friend spent 21 days in juvenile detention before release. Neither boy will be allowed back in their school. Paul Abbatinozzi, Deputy Superintendent of St. Johns County School District, clarified that no direct threat existed to Switzerland Point Middle School.
The initial tip came through FortifyFL, a platform developed after the Parkland school shooting to flag suspicious student activity. James Cirrone, a writer with the Breaking/Trending News team at Fox News Digital, reported on the story.