Bradenton middle school student arrested after school shooting threat, deputies say
A school threat made on social media resulted in the arrest of a 13-year-old student at a Bradenton middle school Thursday, the sheriff’s office said.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of a Dr. Mona Jain Middle School student after he allegedly posted mass shooting threats on an instant messaging app. Detectives said they became aware of the threats through tips on FortifyFL, an app that allows people to report school threats.
Deputies said the student wrote in a message, “Hey y’all Dmj y’all better be ready tomorrow imma be there to shoot up that school,” using an apparent abbreviation for Dr. Mona Jain Middle School.
Upon further investigation, detectives identified the student, who they said confessed to “making the threat because he was tired of being bullied.”
Deputies searched his residence and no firearms were found, according to a news release.
The student is charged with written threats to kill, which is a second-degree felony.
Other school threat arrests
The arrest is the latest in a string of threats made at Manatee County Schools. In September, the sheriff’s office arrested a 15-year-old Bayshore High School student for similar threats made over social media.
A week later, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of three more students after multiple school threats were made over social media.
Over 100 threats have been made against schools in the area in the past three years, a spokesperson with The School District of Manatee County previously told the Bradenton Herald.
“Students must understand the seriousness of making threats about school violence,” Sheriff Rick Wells previously said in a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald. “Make no mistake about it, if we have evidence that a student made a threat to kill, we arrest them and take them to the Juvenile Detention Center. I encourage parents to remind their children of the consequences of making school threats.”
This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 10:21 AM.
