Police in Florida have arrested a 10-year-old boy for allegedly threatening to shoot up his school, according to reports.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said that the fifth-grader at Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral allegedly shared a threatening text message with another student.
“This student’s behavior is sickening, especially after the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Marceno wrote in a Facebook post. “Making sure our children are safe is paramount. We will have law and order in our schools!”
A video showed the boy being put into the back of a police vehicle by an officer. He was charged with making a written threat to conduct a mass shooting.
“Right now is not the time to act like a little delinquent. It’s not funny. This child made a fake threat, and now he’s experiencing real consequences,” added the sheriff.
The arrest came days after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers.
“Texans across the state are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde. Cecilia and I mourn this horrific loss and we urge all Texans to come together to show our unwavering support to all who are suffering,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.
President Biden ordered all American flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and public buildings to honor the victims of the Uvalde school shooting.
Following the deadly shooting, Biden urged lawmakers to pass more gun control laws and stand up against gun lobbyists.
“As a nation, we have to ask when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?” he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris also called on leaders to take action while speaking at an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.
“Enough is enough,” Harris said. “As a nation, we have to have the courage to take action and understand the nexus between what makes for reasonable and sensible public policy to ensure something like this never happens again.”
