Crime & Safety
2 Teens Threatened School Shooting: Pinellas County Sheriff
Two teenage boys were charged with making written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.
PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Two teenagers were arrested for threatening a shooting at Osceola Fundamental High School, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office news release.
A 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy were each charged with one count of making written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting.
While the sheriff’s office has named the suspects, it’s Patch police to not name minors who are charged as a juvenile. It’s unknown when the teens were charged as juveniles or adults.
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On Aug. 4, the 15-year-old sent a message to the other boy on Snapchat that read, “I just wanna shoot Osceola Fundamental Highschool up,” the sheriff’s office said.
The 17-year-old took a screenshot of the message and didn’t report the incident. He reposted the Snapchat message on Aug. 20, adding “Happy Bday” to it, and then posting it to his own Snapchat account, which could be seen by others.
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The older teen told detectives that he reposted the 15-year-old’s message because it was his birthday.
The younger boy admitted to sending the original Snapchat threat to his friend, the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with information on any threats is asked to notify the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office immediately at (727) 582-6200 or via online here.
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