HCSO PROVIDES ADDITIONAL DETAILS INTO SCHOOL SHOOTING THREAT

As reported earlier this morning, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office thoroughly investigated an incident involving a 16-year-old student, who last week during class, told classmates he planned to shoot another student at Weeki Wachee High School.

The student in question was upset with a student who had run into him in the hallway, knocking him down. The student didn’t even know the name of the student who ran into him. The student then made the threat in class following the incident and not to the student who had run into him.

The students who initially heard the threat indicated they thought he was joking.

The threat was reported on Monday to school administration and then to law enforcement, who initiated an investigation.

The resulting investigation, which included interviewing the student who made the threat and a student who heard him make the comments, led authorities to determine there was no credible evidence to support the school shooting threat would be carried out.

It is also important to note there was never a threat made on social media.

Through the course of the investigation, it was determined that the threat was no more credible than any other threat made in the heat of the moment. The ability of the student to carry out the threat was also investigated and found that it could not have been easily carried out, even if the student was serious.

Since the elements of a crime were not met, Probable Cause to make an arrest did not exist (which is absolutely necessary before an arrest can be made).

The incident, however, was reported on social media by a student who was not aware of the details or outcome of the investigation. That student’s post was then spread by other students and parents via social media.

A local Internet media outlet subsequently picked up the story and mistakenly labeled the incident as a “credible threat.” This mistake rightfully concerned parents and students.

The Sheriff’s Office is hesitant to give specifics regarding our investigative techniques and/or our specific responses to issues like this. In doing so, information could be given to individuals who are legitimate threats on how to circumvent the protections we have in place.

Students and parents, however, can rest assured that school safety is a top priority for both the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and the Hernando County School Board.