Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida campus police have arrested 21-year-old Kenyata Malik McCoy on charges of possessing a firearm on campus. McCoy is currently under a pre-trial diversion program stemming from a prior incident in April, where he was charged with loitering/prowling and resisting an officer without violence.

The situation unfolded when a staff member at the Broward Dining Facility, located at 596 Broward Drive, discovered a gun in the men’s restroom and promptly alerted a supervisor, according to a University of Florida Police officer.

Surveillance footage reviewed by the police showed McCoy entering the restroom around 12:07 a.m. on November 7 and exiting approximately ten minutes later. The next individual to enter was the employee who discovered the firearm.

McCoy was apprehended yesterday at Lux 13 Apartments. After being read his Miranda rights, McCoy allegedly stated that upon seeing the gun on the bathroom sink, his reaction was simply, “Wow.” He claimed to have picked up the gun momentarily before placing it back down, asserting that he did not bring it into the restroom.

The officer noted that the gun was reported stolen from a vehicle in June 2020. McCoy was arrested in the summer of 2020 for multiple car burglaries and admitted, post Miranda, that he had burglarized several vehicles and had stolen a purse from one of them. In September 2021, McCoy was arrested for unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm, and McCoy reportedly said at the time that he found the gun in the bushes.

The officer noted that McCoy “was actively committing vehicle burglaries around the time frame this firearm was reported stolen” and “his statement post Miranda places him in possession of the stolen firearm on University of Florida property.”

McCoy has been charged with possession of a firearm on school property. He has juvenile convictions spanning from 2019 to 2021 but no adult convictions. He was arrested in April 2025 for loitering/prowling and resisting an officer without violence and entered into a pre-trial diversion agreement that will dismiss the charges if he abides by a list of conditions for six months; one of the conditions is to refrain from violating any laws.

Judge Denise Ferrero set bail at $10,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.