Bayshore High student tried to sell stolen gun to minor, cops say

A Bayshore High School student has been charged with attempting to sell a stolen gun to a minor, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The Snapchat video of a person waving a handgun was reported to the sheriff’s office Friday morning. After an investigation, law enforcement said that Chance Wheless, 16, was trying to sell that gun to another minor via text, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Dave Bristow.

There was no evidence that Wheless made a threat directed at the school, located at 5401 34th St. W., and Wheless did not have the gun on him.

The gun was reported stolen out of West Virginia, Bristow added.

Manatee County School District spokesman Mike Barber said parents were notified Friday morning through an EdConnect message that law enforcement was interviewing the student.

The 16-year-old was charged with possession of a firearm by a minor and attempted sale of a firearm to a minor.

The investigations into threats made at Bayshore High School and Southeast High School are still ongoing, Bristow said. Anyone with information can contact the sheriff’s office at 941-747-3011.

A threat to Bayshore High had circulated on social media and was reported on Wednesday, suggesting a shooting would happen the following day. As a result, the school was on lockdown for several hours Thursday, inciting fear in the parents waiting outside of the school and their students alike.

At Southeast High School, a threat found written on the girls’ bathroom wall was found Wednesday and the school was also put on lockdown.

Six students in Manatee County have been charged with making threats to their school in the week following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, where 17 were killed.

This story was originally published February 23, 2018 at 2:06 PM with the headline "Bayshore High student tried to sell stolen gun to minor, cops say."