Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood is fed up with the spate of prank school shooting threats his department has been investigating over the past few days.
In less than 24 hours, more than 54 threats were reported to Fortify Florida, which is an app where residents can anonymously report suspicious activity to police, reports Fox35Orlando. Chitwood was so frustrated with the number of threats that he released the mugshot and video of an 11-year-old child who threatened to commit a mass shooting at Creekside Middle School or Silver Sands Middle School, reports NBC News.
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Two days before the arrest of the 11-year-old, two Heritage Middle School students, ages 13 and 14, were arrested for allegedly posting school shooting threats on TikTok and Instagram, reports MyNews13.
The cost to investigate the threats was about $21,000.
“Parents, if you don’t wanna raise your kids, I’m gonna start raising them,” said Chitwood in a news conference on Friday. “Every time we make an arrest, your kid’s photo is going to be put out there and if I could do it, I’m going to perp walk your kid so that everybody can see what your kid’s up to.”
He also said that Florida law allows him to charge parents for the cost of the investigations.
Student Says School Shooting Threat Was a ‘Joke’
In the 11-year-old’s case, law enforcement officers recovered airsoft rifles, pistols, and fake ammunition, along with knives, swords and other weapons he showed off to other students on a Facetime call, reports WESH. The boy also had a written list of names and targets, however, he said it was a joke.
In Friday’s news conference, Chitwood responded to the boy’s claim that the alleged threats were just a joke: “Go talk to the families who have lost a loved one in a school shooting. These little knuckleheads think it’s funny. Go talk to those parents and see how funny this is. It’s not.”
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He also said he would put up posters showing every student who has been arrested and where they attend school. Chitwood said he would publicly shame the students and their parents.
Other Volusia County schools that have been on the receiving end of shooting threats over the past week include Halifax Academy, Westside Elementary, T. DeWitt Taylor Middle High School, and Ormond Beach Middle School, reports the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Additionally, school shooting threats have been reported across Florida, including in Tallahassee, Leon Schools, Vero Beach, Escambia Schools, and more.
