VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood announced on social media that they’ve arrested a 16-year-old student for a threatening statement on Sunday.
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The Deltona high school student was gaming on Xbox and got mad at gamers and posted a photo of a gun along with a threatening statement, Chitwood said.
Chitwood said they responded to the Fortify Florida tip post around 1 p.m.
The teen is being charged with a felony of making a written threat to kill.
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Chitwood said, “Parents, you need to be closely monitoring your kids’ activity on their phones, social media, Xbox, and on and on.”
Investigators said the gun photo was downloaded from the internet, and the teen does not have a gun.
The teen’s father said, “his guns are locked away and can’t be accessed.”
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“It’s not lost on me that other parents, including those of school shooters in Michigan and Georgia, claimed their child would never get their hands on a weapon to commit a shooting.” Chitwood said, “Again, this student didn’t directly threaten a school, but we’re past the point where anyone can take any of these posts or threats lightly.”
Officers said the teenager made statements indicating thoughts of self-harm.
VSO said the teen is getting an evaluation and mental health services.
Chitwood said, “This is just not sustainable for our community or our society. If you haven’t checked in with your child or taken tough action as a parent in a while, now is the time.”
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