Cops Say Fifth-Grader Threatened Mass Shooting

'This child made a fake threat, and now he’s experiencing real consequences'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 30, 2022 1:53 PM CDT

Officials in Lee County, Florida, say a 10-year-old boy has been arrested and charged over a "sickening" threat to commit a school shooting. In a Facebook post, the sheriff's office said a school threat enforcement team was activated Saturday after the fifth-grader sent a "threatening text message," NBC reports. The sheriff's office says the boy was interviewed and charged with making a written threat to conduct a mass shooting. Video released by the sheriff's office shows a deputy walking the boy to a squad car, but it's not clear whether he was released to his parents or detained in a juvenile facility, reports the AP.

"Right now is not the time to act like a little delinquent. It’s not funny. This child made a fake threat, and now he’s experiencing real consequences,” Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a statement. He said the student's behavior "is sickening, especially after the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas." The sheriff's office said the boy is a student at an elementary school in Cape Coral.

  • In Tampa, an 18-year-old was arrested Sunday for allegedly threatening another school shooting, WFLA reports. Authorities say Corey Anderson posted photos that appeared to show him with a handgun, rifle, and tactical vest, with the caption "Hey Siri, directions to the nearest school." He has been charged with "written or electronic threat to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism." The sheriff's office, which described the post as a "sick joke," said the weapons in the social media post turned out to be airsoft guns.
(More Florida stories.)

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