Teen Threatened Gun Violence Against Another Ft. Myers Student: Police

FORT MYERS, FL — A Fort Myers teenager faces charges after sending a threatening text message to another student.

The 17-year-old threatened gun violence against the victim and was detained at Fort Myers High School by school resource officers Tuesday, according to a news release from Fort Myers police.

The student was charged with making a written or electronic threat to kill, do bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism.

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Though Fort Myers Police Department has released the teen’s name, it is Patch policy not to name minors unless they're charged as an adult.

It hasn’t been determined yet whether the suspect will be charged as an adult or a juvenile, Officer Kristin Capuzzi, public information officer, told Patch.

“That is a process through the court system,” she added.

He was brought to a juvenile assessment center for booking, police said.

The threat came about a week after the May 24 shooting that left 21 people dead — 19 children and two teachers — at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

The day the suspect was arrested, there were social media posts being shared that falsely indicated there was a gun at Fort Myers High School, police said.

“If students, teachers or faculty are ever forced to be in the situation with a gun on school grounds, this information would be immediately disseminated to the public and media by local law enforcement,” FPD said. “We strongly discourage rumors or false statements being senselessly circulated without valid information.”