Parkland student arrested after threats found against Stoneman Douglas High, police say
Miami Herald | By David Goodhue | December 2, 2021
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a 17-year-old Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Thursday after social media threats against the Parkland school were discovered online the night before.
According to BSO, the threat was made in a social media chat room. The agency received a report about the threat at 11 Wednesday night, spokeswoman Claudinne Caro said in an email.
“BSO Threat Management Unit was notified, and through investigative efforts, detectives were able to locate the suspect,” Caro said.
The male student faces one count of writing threats to conduct a mass shooting, she said.
Michelle Kefford, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas principal, sent a robocall to parents Thursday morning notifying them of the arrest. The school district released the script of the call Thursday afternoon.
In the call, Kefford thanked the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the school district’s Special Investigative Unit for quickly identifying the person accused of being behind the threat. Kefford also said she wanted to “remind all students and families how seriously any and all threats are taken.”
“Parents, please speak with your children to remind them that any threat — even if they think it is a joke — will result in serious consequences,” Kefford wrote. “In Florida a threat made against a school is a second-degree felony. Students also face school disciplinary measures as outlined in the Code Book for Student Conduct, including expulsion.”
The student’s arrest comes two days after an Oxford, Michigan, student shot and killed four of his schoolmates and wounded several others.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School remains the scene of the deadliest mass shooting at a high school in U.S. history, when Nikolas Cruz, then 19, killed 17 people and wounded 17 others. Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in October.
Miami Herald staff writer Charles Rabin contributed to this report.
