BUNNELL, Fla. — A 14-year-old student at Flagler-Palm Coast High School was arrested Tuesday after authorities say he made threatening statements about a potential school shooting in a Snapchat group chat, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the incident began April 27 when the student posted messages in a group chat with other students that referenced violence at the school. The following day, April 28, a School Resource Deputy met with the student and the student’s parent at the campus after the student disclosed that he had sent the message.
According to investigators, the student initially told deputies he wrote the phrase “slimeyou out #dontcome to school” in the chat, explaining that the slang term meant to hurt or shoot someone. He also told deputies he later apologized and said the message was intended as a joke.
However, another student in the group chat provided screenshots to deputies that showed different language. Authorities said the messages included statements such as “Everybody getting shot up” and “#Don’tComeToSchoolTomorrow,” followed by “I’m joking.”
When confronted with the screenshots, the student told deputies he did not intend to mislead law enforcement and believed he had used different wording. He also stated he was attempting to use dark humor and later realized the seriousness of the statements.
Deputies arrested the student on a charge of making a written or electronic threat to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility before being transferred to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
Sheriff Rick Staly said the agency maintains a strict stance on threats involving schools.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for threats to schools,” Staly said in a statement. “This is not a joke; it is not funny. All threats will be taken seriously and will be investigated, and those who make them will be arrested.”
Staly also urged parents to monitor their children’s online activity and emphasized that digital communications often leave permanent records, even when messages are deleted.
Authorities have not released the student’s name due to his age. The investigation remains ongoing.
