A 12-year-old student tweeted out a threat to shoot up an Immokalee school and was arrested hours after he said, “I’m gonna shoot up my school.”
The minor’s Twitter had pictures of him and pictures of guns that he told Collier County Sheriff’s deputies he googled and posted. Deputies determined the threat wasn’t credible but that doesn’t mean they take it any less seriously.
The sheriff’s office told us if there’s any threat of school violence they’re going to respond immediately.
Only a couple of hours after the young boy tweeted deputies tracked him down and arrested him.
And, while he’s back with his parents as of Friday afternoon, deputies know anytime something like this happens they have to be on it as fast as possible.
“I will tell you second save lives in the situation and unfortunately in these cases, climate and culture,” Collier County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jason Velazquez said. “The sooner by enforcement can be brought into this to assess the validity and credibility in any type of threat made. The quicker were able to respond and do that assessment.”
A student at Immokalee Middle School spoke with WINK News about how they were feeling about the situation. The student said he doesn’t just worry about himself, but also for his brother in sixth grade. He said you just don’t know when one of those lockdown drills is going to be the real thing.
The 12-year-old faces an intimidation charge and writing a threat of a mass shooting.
Nevertheless, members of the community are glad that deputies responded quickly.