Florida fifth grader arrested, charged with threatening a mass taking pictures, police say

A fifth grade student in Florida was arrested over the weekend and charged with sending a text message threatening to carry out a mass capturing, authorities stated.

In a press release Saturday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office mentioned it had learned earlier that day of a "threatening text message" sent by a student at an elementary faculty.

It said its local college risk enforcement team was instantly notified and began investigating. The 10-year-old boy was interviewed and charged later with "making a written threat to conduct a mass taking pictures," the sheriff's workplace mentioned.

In video shared by authorities, the boy can be seen being led right into a police vehicle.

“This scholar’s conduct is sickening, especially after the latest tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno mentioned in an announcement, noting that the menace got here just days after the lethal faculty taking pictures at Robb Elementary College left 19 college students and two academics lifeless.

“Proper now isn't the time to behave like just a little delinquent. It’s not funny,” he said. “This child made a fake risk, and now he’s experiencing actual consequences.”

Marceno mentioned his team “didn’t hesitate one second...NOT ONE SECOND,” to analyze the incident.

The remark got here as authorities in Uvalde face mounting criticism over their response to the Might 24 school capturing after it got here to gentle that they waited roughly an hour for backup as an alternative of immediately transferring in on the gunman.

Chantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital primarily based in London.