A Broward County high school student is facing 19 criminal charges stemming from a threat on Snapchat to commit school shootings in Florida.
The 18-year-old suspect, J.P. Taravella High School student Catrina Petit, is charged with four second-degree felony counts and 15 misdemeanor counts, records show. Petit was incarcerated Saturday at the North Broward Bureau in Pompano Beach without bond.
The charges against the high school senior include three counts of written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism; one count of a false report concerning planting a bomb, an explosive, or a weapon of mass destruction, or concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner; and 15 second-degree misdemeanor counts of disrupting a school.
The four second-degree felony counts each call for up to 15 years in prison.
Message sent as a ‘joke’: Student arrested for viral school shooting post that caused panic across Florida, nation
Coral Springs police arrested Petit on Friday and said it appears she used another student’s identity to sign on to a school computer and make the shooting threats via Snapchat.
“MARK THIS DATE: 5/5/23. I will shoot up the school and kill every student here,” reads the social media post police accuse Petit of writing. “I may do it during the day or after the school day or in between classes. All I know is everyone must DIE.”
The message went viral. Schools throughout Florida and in other states tried to determine if their students were in danger.
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The post was seen by parents and students in North Carolina, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Utah, Minnesota, Arkansas, and elsewhere. In Florida, it was reported in multiple counties including Volusia, Indian River, Broward, Escambia, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Palm Beach, and others.
Volusia County law enforcement checked into threats
Daytona Beach Police said a threat was made to Mainland High School, and on Friday officers were actively investigating the situation.
“We have extra officers patrolling the school and on campus and are doing everything we can to keep the students and staff safe,” the department said Friday morning.
Broward County Public Schools wrote on its Facebook page that the student admitted to the threat and said she meant it “as a joke.”
The hoax panicked parents and students from around much of the state Friday and led to multiple police agencies and schools posting messages saying the viral online threats were not credible.
“There’s been a Snapchat post circulating all across the country about a school shooting threat today,” wrote the Volusia Sheriff’s Office on its Facebook page. “It’s a hoax, but please know that deputies, police, and school guardians are taking every potential threat seriously, and extra patrols of our school campuses will continue through the end of the school year.”
The warnings led to hundreds of comments on law enforcement Facebook pages, including several from people who were keeping their kids home.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said there was no threat against any specific Flagler school and that patrol efforts were enhanced throughout the district.