Hernando high school student arrested for threatening to 'shoot up' school
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - A Hernando County high school student was arrested for threatening to "shoot up" his high school.
Deputies say the 17-year-old sent text messages to two students Wednesday that he was planning a shooting at the Hernando High School on Thursday. The students shared the information with the school resource officer, who launched an investigation.
The student was already suspended from school for another matter and when detectives couldn't find the student, crime analysts found leads to where he was staying.
The detective says the student admitted to sending the text messages and said he did intend to carry out the threats, but he didn't have a firearm, and was going to try and borrow one from a neighbor or buy one from a store.
The student told the detective that once he got a gun, he was going to Hernando High School to "shoot anyone who pissed me off..."
The student also said he knew what he planned to do was wrong, but he was so upset he just wanted to hurt people.
The sheriff's office did not release what he was suspended for initially.
The student was taken into custody and transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Ocala.
He's facing charges of written threats to kill or injure.
"Sheriff Al Nienhuis would like to thank the two extremely brave students who came forward with the text messages, as their actions have very likely thwarted a tragedy in Hernando County," the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said.