Florida fifth grader arrested, charged with threatening a mass shooting, police say

A fifth grade pupil in Florida was arrested over the weekend and charged with sending a text message threatening to hold out a mass taking pictures, authorities stated.

In a press release Saturday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said it had learned earlier that day of a "threatening text message" despatched by a scholar at an elementary college.

It stated its native school threat enforcement team was instantly notified and began investigating. The 10-year-old boy was interviewed and charged later with "making a written threat to conduct a mass shooting," the sheriff's workplace mentioned.

In video shared by authorities, the boy might be seen being led right into a police car.

“This student’s conduct is sickening, particularly after the current tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno stated in a press release, noting that the menace got here simply days after the lethal faculty shooting at Robb Elementary College left 19 college students and two academics useless.

“Proper now shouldn't be the time to behave like a little bit delinquent. It’s not humorous,” he said. “This youngster made a fake risk, and now he’s experiencing real penalties.”

Marceno said his group “didn’t hesitate one second...NOT ONE SECOND,” to research the incident.

The comment came as authorities in Uvalde face mounting criticism over their response to the Could 24 faculty taking pictures after it got here to gentle that they waited roughly an hour for backup as an alternative of immediately moving in on the gunman.

Chantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC Information Digital based mostly in London.