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

A fifth grade student in Florida was arrested over the weekend and charged with sending a textual content message threatening to carry out a mass shooting, authorities stated.

In a statement Saturday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office stated it had discovered earlier that day of a "threatening textual content message" despatched by a scholar at an elementary college.

It mentioned its local college risk enforcement team was instantly notified and began investigating. The 10-year-old boy was interviewed and charged later with "making a written risk to conduct a mass capturing," the sheriff's office stated.

In video shared by authorities, the boy may be seen being led into a police vehicle.

“This pupil’s behavior is sickening, especially after the latest tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno mentioned in a press release, noting that the threat came simply days after the deadly faculty taking pictures at Robb Elementary College left 19 students and two academics lifeless.

“Proper now isn't the time to behave like slightly delinquent. It’s not funny,” he said. “This little one made a fake threat, and now he’s experiencing actual penalties.”

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

The remark got here as authorities in Uvalde face mounting criticism over their response to the Might 24 faculty capturing after it came to gentle that they waited roughly an hour for backup as a substitute of immediately moving in on the gunman.

Chantal Da Silva is a breaking information editor for NBC Information Digital primarily based in London.