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

A fifth grade student in Florida was arrested over the weekend and charged with sending a textual content message threatening to carry out a mass taking pictures, authorities said.

In a press release Saturday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned it had learned earlier that day of a "threatening text message" despatched by a student at an elementary faculty.

It said its local faculty menace enforcement team was immediately notified and began investigating. The 10-year-old boy was interviewed and charged later with "making a written menace to conduct a mass taking pictures," the sheriff's office said.

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

“This student’s behavior is sickening, particularly after the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno mentioned in an announcement, noting that the menace came simply days after the lethal school shooting at Robb Elementary College left 19 college students and two teachers lifeless.

“Proper now is just not the time to behave like a bit delinquent. It’s not funny,” he mentioned. “This child made a faux threat, and now he’s experiencing real penalties.”

Marceno mentioned his team “didn’t hesitate one second...NOT ONE SECOND,” to investigate the incident.

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

Chantal Da Silva is a breaking information editor for NBC News Digital primarily based in London.