13-year-old student arrested for school shooting threat in St. Johns County

Action News Jax has learned a student was arrested for allegedly threatening a school shooting.

Deputies in St. Johns County said the 13-year old student was arrested after making text message threats against Switzerland Point Middle School.

The Sheriff's Office said the student had an issue at the school and then wrote that he was going to shoot up the school.

Around 6 a.m. Wednesday, the school sent a letter to parents, saying they were working with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office regarding the incident.

"I cannot stress how serious this incident is and I encourage you to speak to your child today about his or her role on social media," said Principal Kirstie Gabaldon.

Deputies were informed of the text message Tuesday and arrested the student overnight.

"I’m a parent but my kids would never, ever do something like this," said Sondra Haley, a parent whose two children used to attend Switzerland Middle School.

According to an arrest report Action News Jax obtained, the student texted multiple times he wasn’t kidding and texted lyrics from the song "Pumped Up Kicks," a song the report said is about someone committing a school shooting.

The report goes on to say the 13-year-old also sent a photo of a silver revolver, insinuating that he would use it in the shooting.

Parents say there are better ways to handle any concerns. “So he had an issue in the school. Why didn’t he go through the proper channels to address the issue? Why didn’t the parents get involved and address the issue?”

The Sheriff’s Office said a person in the group text alerted authorities, who arrested the student after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Around 6 a.m., the school sent the letter to parents, saying they were working with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

The principal wrote:
" In the course of the night, we worked with the St. Johns County Sheriff's office to investigate threats made by a student on social media. The student was quickly identified and interviewed, and the threats deemed not to be valid. However, this student has been arrested and charged with a felony for making threats against the school.

I cannot stress how serious an incident like this is, and I encourage you to speak to your child today about his or her responsibility on social media. If you have questions about how to have this conversation with your child, please reach out to your guidance counselor for assistance.

We are grateful for the collective efforts of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Department, the School District, and the school, to reach a swift conclusion to this matter. I appreciate your continued support and trust."

Written threats, even text message threats, are a second-degree felony in Florida. A person can face penalties up to 15 years in prison or 15 years of probation and a $10,000 fine.

Cox Media Group