Sebring child said he was bullied, made shooting threat to avoid going to school, deputies say

SEBRING, Fla. - A 12-year-old boy who attends Hill-Gustat Middle School has been accused of creating an Instagram post claiming there will be a shooting at his school, according to Highlands County deputies.  

Investigators said the boy reported the social media post to his mother Monday morning. His mother contacted the school resource deputy. The post said the school was “gonna get shot up.”

Through the investigation, detectives learned he was the one who made the threat. They said the child claimed he made the threat because he was getting bullied, and wanted to avoid going to school.

“Students need to realize that something like this will never be treated as a joke,” Sheriff Paul Blackman said in a statement. “Last school year, we worked with the School Board of Highlands County to create posters warning about this very thing, letting students know that a fake threat has real consequences.”