Action News Jax does not name the teen because of his age. According to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest report, he is charged with sending a written threat to carry out mass shootings.
A school safety officer working at the school on Monday was made aware of a threat posted on Instagram, the report said.
The screenshot showed text that said, “Luckily I didn’t come today, I’ll be there tomorrow (with a thumbs up emoji) I’m bringing my biggest weapon.”
A second screenshot showed text that said, “Drop threes in all my pictures (with a smiley angel emoji) boy, don’t bring your (expletive) out if you don’t have a gun (with a different face emoji).”
RELATED: ‘Enhanced Security’ in effect at Oceanway Middle, Landmark Middle due to social media threat
The report said another screenshot contained text that read “are you going to landmark?” “Don’t come to school tomorrow, beautiful, I can’t shoot you” “I couldn’t come today (smiley face emoji)” “What do you mean play on your phone.”
JSO submitted a record request to Instagram and discovered that the email address used to create the account matched that of an active Landmark Middle School student.
READ: Florida senator proposes bill to enable Democratic Party to ‘cancel’
The school was given a code yellow on Tuesday and all students and staff were searched, the report said. The student linked to the Instagram account got off the bus around 9:15 am
Landmark Middle School on Monday was one of two Duval County high schools to “introduce enhanced security procedures” due to a social media threat to “carry out a shooting” at the schools, according to reports sent to parents by school principals.
A message from dr. Landmark Middle School principal Cicely Tyson-White said metal detectors would be in use and students’ belongings would be searched.
READ: FHP: Man dies after FDOT Road Ranger runs into truck and pushes him over the edge of Buckman Bridge
Here’s Tyson-White’s full message to parents:
Communication to families
“Hello families of Landmark Middle School. This is Principal Tyson-White calling. My apologies for interrupting your evening, but I know you want to be aware of this situation.
“We have learned that someone posted a message on social media threatening a shooting at our school. Law enforcement is currently investigating this threat and we will implement enhanced security procedures tomorrow morning. These procedures include using our metal detectors and searching students’ belongings as they enter the school. Again, as a result of this threatening post, we will be implementing enhanced security procedures when entering the school tomorrow morning. As you know, we take all threats seriously and will take appropriate measures to keep the campus safe and secure for students and staff. I will also update you when we receive more information. Thank you for your cooperation in resolving this situation, and again, I will update you as more information becomes available. Bye.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
DCPS said it believes another person is also participating in these threats, which is why the investigation remains open.
“Due to the possibility that a second person may have also made another threat, Landmark will continue to implement enhanced security procedures, including searching all students and their belongings upon entering the school on March 1,” DCPS said in a statement. .
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Duval County School Police Chief Greg Burton issued the following statement in response to the arrest and investigation into the threats:
“Threats against schools, students and staff will not be tolerated. We will fully investigate any threat of violence against our schools and we will engage many other law enforcement partners and resources to help identify those responsible. If it breaks the law, we will do everything we can to arrest those responsible. If a student is involved, that student will also experience serious disciplinary consequences on the basis of the student code of conduct. Please remind your children that this behavior will never be dismissed as a joke or harmless child’s play.”
click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to live stream Action News Jax.