A 14-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student was taken into custody Tuesday after deputies say he used Snapchat to threaten to "shoot up" the campus. According to the sheriff's office, a school resource deputy met the teen and his parent at the end of the school day and arrested him after classmates shared screenshots that included messages such as "Everybody getting shot up" and "#Don'tComeToSchoolTomorrow."
According to News4JAX, investigators say the post went out in a Snapchat group chat of about 13 students near the end of the school day on April 27. The student told deputies he wrote "slimeyou out #dontcome to school," explaining that "slimeyou" was slang for hurting or shooting someone. Officials said he later apologized and insisted he meant it as a joke.
What Deputies Say They Found
Investigators said the screenshots they received showed a string of posts that read "Everybody getting shot up," "#Don'tComeToSchoolTomorrow" and "I'm joking," according to News4JAX. When deputies questioned him, the teen reportedly said he had been trying to be "edgy" and use dark humor, and told them he now understands how serious the messages were, the sheriff's office said.
Charges and Custody
Deputies arrested the student on a felony charge of making a written or electronic threat to kill, do bodily injury, or carry out a mass shooting or act of terrorism, according to the sheriff's office. He was booked into the county detention facility, then transferred to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office identifies the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility as the county's detention center.
Local Pattern and Enforcement
Flagler County deputies have been making it clear all year that social media threats will be treated as crimes. On Feb. 24, a Matanzas High School student was arrested after Snapchat posts showed a firearm, according to a Flagler County Sheriff's Office news release. "Regardless of age, threatening to kill someone is a felony and is not something that we tolerate," Sheriff Rick Staly said in that release.
Authorities are urging families to keep an eye on students' online activity and to report anything that looks like a threat. Tips can be submitted through the FortifyFL app or by calling the sheriff's non-emergency line. The investigation into the Snapchat messages is ongoing, and officials say they will provide updates if warranted.
