‘I think it’s fine to kill people.’ FBI flags threat made by SCF student, cops say

An unidentified student at the State College of Florida’s Bradenton campus was taken into custody under the Baker Act for psychological evaluation after he made threats on social media about shooting up his classroom, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The comments the students posted on Twitch include, “Should I start shooting ... I’m in class, should I shoot myself ... I think it’s fine to kill people,” according to an incident report dated Tuesday.

The comments were flagged by the FBI and the sheriff’s office was contacted by Amazon’s Intelligent Security Alert & Awareness Center.

Deputies made contact with the student, who denied making the statements, saying he hasn’t used his Twitch account for several weeks.

Deputies determined the student’s comments “did not rise to the level of criminal charges at this time,” and initiated the Baker Act to have him evaluated.

The incident is yet another in a series of threats students have made in area schools.

• On Thursday, Lakewood Ranch High School added additional security measures due to an alleged threat made on social media.
• In October, a Nolan Middle School student was arrested after allegedly rubbing two knives together and brandishing a firearm while threatening another student.
• On Nov. 6, a student at Dr. Mona Jain Middle School was disciplined by the school district for posting, “Everyone talks (expetive) and I will fight everyone and I’ll shoot up the school.”
• In October, a Palmetto High School student was arrested for a social media post saying, “I want to be a school shooter,” and declaring he had an AR-15.
• In September, another student at Dr. Mona Jain Middle School was disciplined for telling another student, “not to be sad, because things could be worse. you could be on the ground, everyone around you dead, and me standing over you about to deal the final blow.”
• On Sept. 10, a Braden River High School student was suspended for making drawings and writings referring to, “blowing up and shooting up a school.”
• In September, a student at Lakewood Ranch High School was suspended after posting social media comments about possible retaliatory actions against another student while referring to, “gun play.”
• Also in September, a Bayshore High School student posted video on social media of herself threatening another student while waving what appeared to be a gun.
• On Sept. 20, a 14-year-old student at Lincoln Memorial Academy was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to school.
• On Aug. 22, a a Palmetto High School student was investigated for writing social media posts indicating he would use is father’s gun to kill people.”

This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 8:48 AM.