FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ A Marjory Stoneman Douglas teacher was arrested after he left a loaded gun in a public restroom and a drunk homeless man found it and fired it, according to an arrest report from the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Chemistry teacher Sean Simpson, 43, who was at the Parkland school during the Feb. 14 mass shooting that killed 17, told deputies on Sunday that he forgot the Glock 9 mm in a stall at a restroom at the Deerfield Beach Pier. No one was hurt during the incident.
Simpson, of Margate, Fla., was charged with failing to safely store a firearm, a second-degree misdemeanor, and the homeless man, Joseph Spataro, 69, was charged with trespassing and firing a weapon while intoxicated, records show.
About five minutes after leaving the bathroom, Simpson realized he'd forgotten the gun and as he was walking back to retrieve it he heard a single gun shot, the report said. Simpson snatched the gun from Spataro's hand.
When deputies got there they found the gun with seven bullets with a magazine loaded into it in Simpson's pocket, the report said. They found a casing in a corner of the bathroom and later found a projectile also in the bathroom.
Simpson had a valid concealed weapons permit, the report said. He posted $250 bond, records show.
