CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A 16-year-old student who made a school shooting threat over Snapchat could face criminal charges.
The incident happened back in March.
Clay County School District Police said the teen who made the threat is a Duval County student.
The Clay County School District’s police chief says 22% of high school students didn’t show up to school on March 9 because of the threat.
He said the student could be charged with disruption of a school function which is a misdemeanor or false reports of a mass shooting which is a felony.
Chief Kenneth Wagner said the Snapchat message caused a firestorm among Duval and Clay County students.
“If you live in Clay County or Duval County be safe. It’s an active shooter coming to all yall schools,” the message read.
“A lot of students screenshotted it and it’s kind of a domino effect and it continues to grow but they don’t know who it was,” Wagner said.
And to make it even more difficult for police and detectives, the name seen on the top of the Snapchat message was fake.
Wagner said the police department discovered the identity of the student Thursday.
Gene Nichols, a local attorney, said the student could face two criminal charges.
“That decision is going to be based on has this person done anything like this before and number 2, was this person being serious or were they trying to draw attention to themselves and number 3 what steps have parents taken,” Nichols said. “As a juvenile, they wouldn’t face any type of incarceration, unless we’re dealing with serious crimes. Punishments start low.”
Chief Wagner said charges have not been filed, but he believes this student will eventually face criminal charges.
The police chief advises parents to speak to their children about the dangers and impact of social media.
And if your child sees something like the Snapchat in question on social media they should always report it to school administrators or their local police department.