Florida Middle School Student Charged as Adult After Allegedly Constructing Homemade Firearms for Robbery Plot

A 14-year-old Florida middle school student has been charged as an adult following an investigation that uncovered three homemade firearms, ammunition and suspected explosive materials in his home, authorities announced Friday. The student, identified as Julian Davis, was arrested April 30 after St. Johns County sheriff’s deputies and federal agents received a tip on April 27 that Davis and a 13-year-old classmate had been exchanging messages about robbing someone at gunpoint.

The investigation revealed that Davis and his younger friend, both students at Switzerland Point Middle School, had discussed constructing a shotgun and musket through online communications on Telegram, according to an arrest report. Between April 27 and April 30, law enforcement conducted multiple searches of Davis’ residence, recovering three homemade firearms, ammunition, makeshift handcuffs and materials suggesting explosive devices.

Investigators also discovered handwritten notes detailing weapon construction, drawings of incendiary devices, a tactical vest bearing white supremacy imagery and a copy of the manifesto authored by Brenton Tarrant, the gunman responsible for shooting sprees at two New Zealand mosques in 2019 that killed 51 people. Additional items seized included a U.S. Army improvised munitions handbook and a copy of “The Anarchist Cookbook,” a 1971 publication containing instructions for manufacturing explosives and weapons.

Sheriff Robert Hardwick stated that Davis demonstrated a documented interest in high-profile mass shooting and stabbing cases, spending considerable time researching such incidents online. Hardwick characterized the evidence as depicting “a much bigger picture than just a robbery of that individual” and suggested that the charges may have averted potential tragedy affecting the school and surrounding community.

Davis faces multiple adult charges including firearms and explosives offenses and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. His 13-year-old companion was also charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery but was not charged as an adult and spent 21 days in Florida’s juvenile detention system before being released.

Davis remains detained at St. Johns County Jail on a $240,000 bond. His attorney, Jill Barger, disputed characterizations that Davis posed an imminent threat, stating he had never expressed intentions to harm anyone and challenging the sheriff’s office for making public statements she claims were designed to prejudice potential jurors before trial.

School district officials clarified that no direct threat was ever made against Switzerland Point Middle School. The initial report came through FortifyFL, a threat identification platform established following the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Neither student will be permitted to return to the school.