GILBERT, AZ — A new fallout connected to an armed confrontation was caught on camera outside of a school in Gilbert.
As a result, Lexington Life Academy will relocate more than 150 students with autism and their staff to other campuses, spending the last two days getting things ready in order to resume classes on Wednesday.
"Right now, we're doing last minute finishing touches on our transition. Right here we have our visual schedules," says Justin Gilmore, executive director, Lexington Life Academy.
It was a quick move to the Lexington Life Academy in Mesa.
"With our students, they thrive on consistency and when that doesn't happen, they struggle. They have high anxiety or stress," says Gilmore.
The school's prior location in Gilbert was on the same property as Compassion Church, where an incident took place earlier this month. Part of that incident was captured by cell phone and has since gone viral. It shows a man, identified as 68-year-old Bernardo Aillon, walking toward a skateboarder and pulling a gun from his waist, telling the skateboarder to leave. The owner of the academy, Harrison Rogers, was shocked.
"If a gentleman was upset about kids not being respectful or being obedient to authority, our students are sometimes, unfortunately, not the most obedient," says Harrison Rogers, owner, Lexington Liffe Academy.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office confirmed they will be filing criminal charges against Aillon. It turns out, he lives behind the church and the home even shares the same parking lot. After finding that out, school staff took immediate action.
"With the heated environment we're in, with school shootings especially, and you know, we take this... always take it seriously but even more now," says Rogers.
The staff have been busy moving everything from its old location to the new one. They are hoping students can feel comfortable and safe in their environment.
"We all came together as a family and community and that's how this got done," says Gilmore.
