Florida fifth grader arrested, charged with threatening a mass shooting, 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 capturing, authorities stated.

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

It said its native school risk enforcement group was instantly notified and began investigating. The ten-year-old boy was interviewed and charged later with "making a written risk to conduct a mass capturing," the sheriff's workplace said.

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

“This scholar’s behavior is sickening, particularly after the latest tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno mentioned in a press release, noting that the menace got here simply days after the lethal school taking pictures at Robb Elementary Faculty left 19 college students and two teachers lifeless.

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

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

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

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