A fifth grade student in Florida was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly threatened to carry out a mass shooting in a text message, authorities said.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said it had learned earlier that day of a “threatening text message” sent by a 10-year-old student at Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral, Florida, NBC reports.
Police interviewed the boy and later charged him with making a threat to conduct a mass shooting.
“This student’s behavior is sickening, especially after the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a statement, referencing the elementary school shooting in Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
“Making sure our children are safe is paramount. We will have law and order in our schools! My team didn’t hesitate one second…NOT ONE SECOND, to investigate this threat.” Marceno said, adding, “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.”
