Auburndale High Student Accused Of Threatening School Shooting

AUBURNDALE, FL — A 15-year-old girl who attends Auburndale High School was arrested Monday for allegedly making three written threats to carry out a school shooting on Jan. 29.

Lt. Andy Moore of the Auburndale Police Department said the freshman student included the first names of six potential victims in one of the three messages found scrawled on bathroom walls in the school.

He said the first message was found on Nov. 21.

"Auburndale detectives worked diligently last week to identify any persons of interest," Moore said on Monday. "While detectives were collecting evidence, two more written threats were discovered in two separate bathrooms today. These threats were again for a future date, January 29, 2020 and referenced a school shooting."

Moore did not say how investigators linked the 15-year-old to the threats.

"After presenting the facts, she confessed to writing the threat on 11/21/2019 and the two threats written earlier today," he explained.

She was charged with three counts of written threat to kill or injure. Patch is withholding the student's name because of her age.

"The Auburndale Police Department takes these and all threats very seriously and we are
going to arrest anyone we identify as being responsible for such threats," Moore added. "We encourage parents to talk to their school-age children about the seriousness of such senselessness."

Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd encouraged students to come forward if they learn of future threats.

“Safe schools will only be achieved if we all work together," Byrd said in a statement. "I encourage our students, staff, parents and community members to remain diligent. If you see or hear anything suspicious, immediately report it to your school administrators. We can never be too careful when it comes to student safety.”