Florida fifth grader arrested, charged with threatening a mass taking pictures, police say

A fifth grade student in Florida was arrested over the weekend and charged with sending a text message threatening to hold out a mass shooting, authorities said.

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

It said its native college risk enforcement crew was instantly notified and started investigating. The ten-year-old boy was interviewed and charged later with "making a written threat to conduct a mass taking pictures," the sheriff's office stated.

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

“This student’s habits is sickening, especially after the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a press release, noting that the risk came just days after the deadly school capturing at Robb Elementary Faculty left 19 college students and two academics dead.

“Proper now just isn't the time to behave like somewhat delinquent. It’s not humorous,” he mentioned. “This child made a pretend threat, and now he’s experiencing actual consequences.”

Marceno stated his staff “didn’t hesitate one second...NOT ONE SECOND,” to research the incident.

The comment got here as authorities in Uvalde face mounting criticism over their response to the Might 24 college capturing after it came to light that they waited roughly an hour for backup as a substitute of immediately transferring in on the gunman.

Chantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital based mostly in London.