OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — A 13-year-old Osceola Middle School student in Okeechobee County is in juvenile detention after the sheriff's office said Saturday he planned a mass shooting at his school nearly one month ago.
The boy is not being identified by WPTV.
He is accused of written or electronic threats to kill or mass shooting, a felony, and is at the juvenile facility in Fort Pierce.
The sheriff's office didn't reveal when the threat was made but the middle school noted on Facebook on March 28 that a guidance counselor that day "was checking on a student. During that time, the student shared concerning thoughts including detailed plans to carry out a shooting attack at the school."
No specific targets were mentioned "other than the school in general" and parents were notified.
Law enforcement was contacted and the student was removed from the campus "after the interviews," according to the school.
Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jack Nash said in a news release: "Recently, school resource Deputy Robert Feldman was informed of a 'Threat Assessment' being conducted on 13-year-old student (deleted) at Osceola Middle School in Okeechobee."
"During the assessment, the boy "reported hearing the voices of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the Columbine Shooting in 1999" in Colorado.
The voices in his head compelled him to repeatedly plan a shooting at his school, Nash said.
The child's family granted law enforcement access to his phones and laptops, which "was a responsible and proactive move that played a crucial role in quickly resolving the investigation," he said.
A forensic diagnostic of electronics, along with his statements, gave deputies probable cause to arrest him.
The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office and the Okeechobee County School Board worked on this matter.
Interim Superintendent Dylan Tedders said the school has strict guidelines for this type of incident and will follow school policy.
"It takes a village to raise a child," Sheriff Noel Stephen said.
Stephen urges parents to actively engage in conversations with their children about mental health, which is becoming an increasingly critical issue among youths.
He also encourages community members to be vigilant and to promptly report any signs of struggle in individuals, so that appropriate support and assistance can be provided.
In September, a 12-year-old boy was arrested after the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office said he threatened to conduct a mass shooting at the same middle school. During a live video stream on Instagram, from an account later determined and admitted by the boy to be his, investigators said he threatened to shoot others.
