JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A student was arrested at an elementary school in Clay County after making a mass shooting threat, the sheriff's office announced Friday.
An 11-year-old student at Swimming Pen Elementary was arrested on charges of making a written or electronic threat to "kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism," a second degree felony, the Clay County Sheriff's Office said.
In a press release distributed Friday, CCSO said the fifth grader was arrested after he texted another student indicating "a desire" to bring a gun to school and conduct a mass shooting. Police said the texts described how he would do it, saying he would go to from classroom to classroom shooting others and then shoot himself if police attempted to arrest him. He then asked the student to delete the chat.
Police said the boy admitted to making the texts but said he didn't mean them and was just angry over "conflicts with other students."
CCSO investigated "due to the detailed nature of his threats, where McMahon identified specific intent, named a weapon, and harbored a specific perceived grievance," the release said.
Police searched the child's backpack and bedroom at home, interviewed everyone involved, including his family, and seized his iPad.
The investigation resulted in the child's arrest Friday, and he was transported to the Juvenile Department of Justice.
"We take every single tip received very seriously and a thorough investigation is conducted. I have zero tolerance for school threats. Parents, please speak with your children about the consequences of making such statements. I want to thank those who came forward with this information and encourage anyone who sees or hears anything suspicious to report it immediately," Sheriff Michelle Cook said in a statement.
First Coast News will not be naming the child due to his age.