Deltona Middle School Student Charged With Making False Report Of School Shooting

Date Added: May 29, 2018 9:53 pm

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

DELTONA MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT CHARGED WITH MAKING FALSE REPORT OF SCHOOL SHOOTING

Today, a student at Deltona Middle School joined the list of those charged with making a false report of a school shooting after he sent a text message about an active shooter and then sent out a video of running feet to make the story seem real.

The 14-year-old became the latest of more than 30 students in Volusia County who have been charged with felonies related to false reports of school violence since the mass shooting tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in February.

The student sent a message to a friend that said (misspellings included): "Schoil shooting much scared plz pray." He added a video of running feet. He later told a school resource deputy he did it as a prank, and he didn't want to dispel the rumor for several hours because he wanted to give the impression that it was actually happening in real time. 

The student was charged with making a false report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner (F.S. 790.164) and placed on home detention.