Matthew Piner, a 39-year-old man, was arrested and is currently incarcerated in Texas after his online threats caused a significant security response involving multiple schools in Duval County, according to a recent announcement from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Piner's alarming post on social media, wherein he declared that "Anyone possessing or keeping [his child] from me is to be shot on sight…", spurred four Duval County Public Schools to initiate a lockout, an event securing the schools by not allowing entrance to any unauthorized individuals, which significantly showcases the gravity with which such threats are taken in our current climate.
The post from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, which disclosed the arrest, revealed that Piner does not have custody of his child, who attends school in the Jacksonville area, hence intensifying concerns when it was discovered that Piner was traveling to Jacksonville from California with a gun on Monday.
Officials said coordination among multiple agencies, including Duval County School Police and the FBI’s Jacksonville office, was key to preventing a potential crisis. "Together, we stopped what could have been a tragedy," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office stated, reinforcing the message that the proactive measures taken were crucial in safeguarding the students and staff of the schools involved.
With the suspect arrested on Wednesday, by the Nolan County Sheriff's Office, the incident concludes with a call to action for the community—essentially a vigilance plea for the public to be the eyes and ears of safety in the digital realm, where threats can translate to real-world peril "We do not take online threats lightly," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office iterated, providing a contact number (904.630.0500) for reporting suspicious online behavior.
