A middle school student in Deltona has been placed under arrest for circulating a fabricated story of a school shooting, sparking undue alarm amongst students and their families. According to the Volusia Sheriff's Office, the student from Deltona Middle School propagated a lie that involved an allegedly arrested peer, claiming this student had successfully retrieved a firearm, penned a "kill list," and was on the verge of executing a violent plan. The WFTV report details that the accused rumor monger confessed to making up the story in an attempt to "appear cool."
As the rumor gained traction, it fueled a deluge of tips through FortifyFL and Gaggle alerts, along with direct contacts from a concerned community bracing for an impending act of violence. While dealing with the misinformed threat, the student slipped the same story to a school resource deputy, before eventually conceding to the falsity of his claims, as FOX 35 Orlando reported.
Subsequently, the student has been charged with the first-degree misdemeanor of knowingly giving false information to law enforcement officials.
