Fort Walton Beach High student accused of sending message threatening to kill classmate

Sierra Rains, Northwest Florida Daily News
·1 min read
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FORT WALTON BEACH — A Fort Walton Beach High School student is accused of sending a photo of himself holding a knife in a group chat and threatening to kill another student.

The 15-year-old is charged with sending a threat to kill or injure, a first-degree felony, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office news release.

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The Sheriff's Office began investigating Tuesday after receiving a tip from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Deputies said the 15-year-old directed the message at another student who he said was being disrespectful toward a female classmate.

The 15-year-old admitted to sending "threatening messages" to a group chat but refused to provide the name of the student he was threatening or the name of the female classmate he claimed to be standing up for, according to his arrest report.

"I want to again emphasize that any threat involving students or school safety is taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, and substantiated threats will result in an arrest," Sheriff Eric Aden said. "I also want to thank students who come forward to make sure these situations are reported and checked out. If you see something, say something."

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Fort Walton Beach High School student charged with sending threat