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Two Volusia County, Florida, students — ages 10 and 11 — were arrested in separate incidents this week after allegedly making murder threats, authorities said.
Videos posted to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office Facebook page show both students being led into custody, underscoring local authorities’ message that threats of school violence will be met with swift and serious consequences.
The 11-year-old, a student at DeLand Middle School, was arrested Thursday for the second time in less than a year after allegedly sending written threats targeting teachers, the Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Police said the student used another child’s account to send the message “imma shoot you” to seven teachers.
The arrest comes while the student was already participating in a diversion program related to a previous October arrest at Southwestern Middle School.
In that earlier case, police said the student sent a group message reading “IM GONNA SHOOT YOU” through another student’s school-related account.
The Sheriff’s Office stressed that threats of violence cause major disruptions across the district, which serves approximately 63,000 students and employs about 4,400 teachers.
“I know some want to make excuses and coddle the select few who choose to make threats. You can pat them on the head and tell them everything’s going to be alright. My job is to look out for everyone else,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“These idiotic threats disrupt our schools, eat up time and resources, and increase the chances a real threat slips through the cracks. If you can threaten to shoot 7 teachers you can take a perp walk. Parents, discipline your kids and I won’t have to.”
Earlier in the week, a 10-year-old student at Pride Elementary School was also arrested after allegedly making threats.
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According to a Facebook post on Wednesday from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, the student wrote on a whiteboard that he would bring a gun to school and left a note listing individuals he intended to harm.
“This student wrote in permanent marker on a classroom whiteboard that he’d bring a gun to school. Then he left a ‘list of people who i’m gunna kill’ in a desk,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
The child was charged with making a written threat to kill, a felony. Deputies said he told investigators he did not mean the threats.
“The parents of the 3 students named on the list were notified,” the Volusia Sheriff’s Office said. “The parent of the defendant indicated he does not have access to any firearms. That doesn’t change the consequences of his actions.”
“This is another reminder to talk to your kids and teach them this lesson before they learn it in the juvenile justice system.”
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A spokesperson for Volusia County Schools told Fox News Digital that every threat against students, staff or campuses is taken seriously and addressed without exception.
“We urge all Volusia County parents and guardians to speak with their children about the seriousness of making or sharing threats, and the significant legal and educational consequences that will follow,” the spokesperson said. “Please closely monitor your child’s digital activity and remain aware of the platforms and communication tools they are using.”
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“Volusia County Schools will continue working in full partnership with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams to promptly identify, assess and respond to any potential threats.”
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