The St. Johns County Sheriffs Office arrested a 15-year-old Tocoi Creek High School student Monday for threatening to shoot up his school, as Superintendent Tim Forson warned parents to remain vigilant in the aftermath of the recent Georgia school killings.
SJSO Deputies probed the teen after getting a tip on the FortifyFL App that he posted “I’m going to shoot up Tocoi High School tomorrow” on Snapchat.
The department investigated the student’s background, including “any previous behavior issues, interviews, family, and home environment” before deeming him a “high risk.”
The teen was arrested “out of concern for the safety of students and staff,” SJSO said in a statement.
“This arrest and previous arrests should send a clear message; any and all threats will be investigated immediately, we will find you, and you will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Sheriff Robert Hardwick said.
The unidentified teen is facing felony charge of “written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting.”
Meanwhile, Forson sent an email to district parents Monday afternoon stating that “we have had a very high number of threats and false threats reported,” in the wake of the deadly Georgia incident earlier this month.
Forson said reports of suspicious prompt full investigations, which can exhaust resources and leave the “community more vulnerable.”
“We need your help to ensure that what is being reported is of actual and immediate concern knowing that resources will be immediately deployed to investigate and address,” he wrote. “When false reports are made, we will investigate the source of the threat and pursue charges as appropriate.”
