Florida fifth grader arrested, charged with threatening a mass taking pictures, police say

A fifth grade student in Florida was arrested over the weekend and charged with sending a text message threatening to carry out a mass shooting, authorities stated.

In a statement Saturday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said it had learned earlier that day of a "threatening textual content message" sent by a scholar at an elementary faculty.

It stated its native faculty threat enforcement workforce was instantly notified and started investigating. The 10-year-old boy was interviewed and charged later with "making a written menace to conduct a mass taking pictures," the sheriff's office stated.

In video shared by authorities, the boy can be seen being led right into a police car.

“This pupil’s conduct is sickening, particularly after the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a press release, noting that the menace got here simply days after the lethal school shooting at Robb Elementary Faculty left 19 college students and two lecturers lifeless.

“Right now shouldn't be the time to behave like a little bit delinquent. It’s not humorous,” he said. “This baby made a pretend threat, and now he’s experiencing real penalties.”

Marceno said his team “didn’t hesitate one second...NOT ONE SECOND,” to research the incident.

The remark came as authorities in Uvalde face mounting criticism over their response to the Could 24 school shooting after it came to light that they waited roughly an hour for backup as a substitute of instantly shifting in on the gunman.

Chantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital based mostly in London.