Ninth grader arrested after Manatee schools shooting threat

2:34 p.m. Sept 13

A ninth grader is in custody after the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said he threatened to commit a school shooting.

Sheriff's Office deputies and the Bradenton Police Department said they were made aware Sept. 12 at around 11 p.m. of generic threats being shared multiple times on social media about school shootings planned for Friday, Sept. 13.

Sheriff's Office Lt. Julio Jordan-Escalona said the investigation narrowed to one person in Manatee County. "We came across the 15-year-old student who took credit and announcing he was going to be the shooter," he said.

The original threat was reposted many times, Jordan-Escalona said, with about 60 tips about the threats being reported to police through the Fortify Florida app, used by the school district for just such a purpose. 

When investigators made contact with the boy and his parents Thursday night, Jordan-Escalona said the boy "was laughing about it." When his parents said they had warned the boy he could get into trouble, "he was still laughing about it. He ended up saying it was a joke."

Jordan-Escalona said that the boy had posted initials of several schools on Snapchat, but they were later determined to be schools in Charlotte County.

After questioning, the boy was taken into custody and taken to the county’s Juvenile Detention Center. He was charged with creating written threats to kill or do bodily injury, a second degree felony.

"We take every one of them (threats) seriously. The sheriff priorities the safety of the kids," Jordan-Escalona said. He added extra resources were brought into school Friday. "We had extra personnel. We have plainclothes detectives assigned to it. We had a new gun detection dog at one of the schools."

He also said there was never any discussion about closing schools because of the threats.

Jordan-Escalona also said copycat cases after a school shooting are not uncommon. "Every time there's a shooting across somewhere in the United States, usually there's an uptake on generic threats. And then, unfortunately, some of the kids start using that as a joke, or they think it's funny.

"I don't think it's a joke. It causes panic. … The kids get scared," he said.

Jordan-Escalona said the investigation is continuing. "We're trying to make sure we get to the bottom of who sent the very first one (threat).

10 a.m. Sept 13

A ninth grader has been arrested after the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said he threatened to commit a school shooting.

Sheriff's Office deputies and the Bradenton Police Department said they were made aware Sept. 12 of multiple threats being shared on social media about alleged school shootings planned for Friday, Sept. 13 at several Manatee County schools.

According to a news release, investigators identified a 15-year-old boy who stated via Snapchat that he was going to commit a school shooting. 

Deputies say after evidence was found on his cellphone, the boy admitted to making threats as a joke. 

No weapons were found, and the boy was arrested and taken to the county’s Juvenile Detention Center.

Deputies said they are investigating other social media posts as well. As a precaution, additional deputies were at several schools Friday. The news release did not identify which schools were allegedly targeted.

"Our student's safety is always our highest priority, and these threats are taken very seriously,” Sheriff Ricks Wells said in the release.

Anyone who comes across threatening information concerning schools is urged to report it to law enforcement or through the Fortify Florida app.