11-year-old Florida student arrested for threatening to commit a mass shooting, authorities say

An 11-year-old middle school student in Port Orange, Florida, has been arrested for threatening to commit a mass shooting at a middle school, authorities said Monday.

An 11-year-old middle school student in Port Orange, Florida, has been charged with a felony after threatening to commit a mass shooting at a middle school, authorities said Monday. “We just arrested a Creekside Middle School student who made threats to commit a school shooting at Creekside or Silver Sands Middle School,” Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood said in a post on social media announcing the arrest. “He had written a list of names and targets. He says it was all a joke.” The Creekside Middle School student was charged with a felony for intimidation through a written threat of a “mass shooting/terrorism act,” according to an incident report sent to CNN by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. CNN is not naming the 11-year-old, who has been charged as a juvenile. The report said detectives searched the home of the student and “located various airsoft style rifles and pistols, magazines, fake ammunition designed to give a realistic appearance and several knives and swords.” Detectives also obtained a list of students’ names on a notepad that the juvenile had allegedly said he “wanted to kill,” according to statements given to detectives. The arrest came after an anonymous tip from another student at Creekside Middle School led deputies to a group of students – from both Creekside and Silver Sands schools – who were involved in a FaceTime conversation with the juvenile, the report stated.