PALM BAY, Fla. – An Eastern Florida State College student who shot a man during a fight on the college's Palm Bay campus last week is being invited back to the school, as the school reworks the gun policy on campus.
Classes resumed Monday after the shooting on Thursday afternoon put one man in the hospital. Palm Bay Police say Amado Contreras, 25, and his 24-year old brother, Landyer, attacked student Landrick Hamilton, 24, with a pool cue near a college building.
Eastern Florida President Jim Richey said that the claims of self defense and a Florida appeals court ruling factored into the decision to invite Hamilton back to class. He was the only student involved in the incident; the other two men were not, according to the college.
Authorities say Hamilton got a gun from his car and fired one shot, hitting Amado Contreras, who was taken to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
All three men in the fight are claiming self defense, including Hamilton, the shooter. The State Attorney's office has not yet decided whether to file charges.
"Eastern Florida State College is changing its policy to comply with the recent court ruling, and will have a revised policy in place this week that allows for secured guns in vehicles on campus," said John Glisch, vice president of communications at the school. "The college began work on changing the policy prior to the suit filed by Florida Carry, Inc."
Leaders are revising the gun policy after a 1st District Court of Appeals decision in December said colleges and universities cannot stop individuals from storing guns in their cars.
Hamilton has no prior history of discipline problems at the college, and will not face any discipline from the incident.
The Contreras brothers went to the campus to pick up a friend when they saw Hamilton, who had been their friend for years but recently had an ongoing dispute between the them. When they spoke to Hamilton it sparked the fight.