WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — West Palm Beach police said Monday a 17-year-old boy has been arrested in Canada for a mass shooting threat directed at "Pride On the Block."
The police department said the teen — whose name has not been released and is believed to be a Canadian citizen — made an online video threat to shoot people at the LGBTQ event, which took place Sunday on Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach.
In the video, the teen had a handgun and claimed to be a Palm Beach County resident.
The Miami Police Department saw the threat around 10 a.m. Sunday and alerted West Palm Beach police. The FBI and New York City Police Department were also involved in the investigation.
"Yesterday's event was beautiful. People were very scared. The Pulse Nightclub shooting is still on everybody's mind, especially in our gay community," said West Palm Beach Deputy Chief Rick Morris. "We want the LGBTQ community to know we stand behind them. Every event they have, we will protect them from hate and ignorance."
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Morris said the teen was "very creative" with his use of technology and will eventually be extradited to Palm Beach County to face charges here, which could include hate crime charges.
"I think his intentions were to commit a terrorist act, a hate crime," Morris said. "These people are not heroes that are doing the shooting. They're criminals. Some of them are terrorists."
West Palm Beach police said the department maintained an appropriate response of uniformed and undercover officers, along with SWAT Team members, at "Pride On The Block" to ensure everyone's safety.
"We will continue to work with West Palm Beach P.D. and PBSO to provide safe and inclusive events for the entire LGBTQ community here in Palm Beach County," said Julia Murphy, the chief development officer for the Compass LGBTQ Community Center.
