Detectives have arrested an 18-year-old Florida man after receiving a tip that he threatened a mass shooting at a school in a social media post.
Corey Anderson’s post showed him with a pistol, rifle and tactical-style vest with a caption that read, “Hey Siri, directions to the nearest school,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in an email. a press release.
Anderson was arrested at his home near Tampa on Sunday and charged with a written or electronic threat to carry out a mass shooting or an act of terrorism.
“This type of threat is unacceptable. This man intentionally struck fear into our community as a sick joke, but he be warned, this is no laughing matter,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
The sheriff said his agency “will do everything in our power” to track down anyone who makes threats to schools.
“Protecting our students is our highest priority,” Chronister said. We take school threats very seriously. If you see anything suspicious, please contact us immediately.”
The arrest came days after an 18-year-old walked into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and fatally shot 19 children and two teachers. The gunman was finally gunned down by law enforcement about 80 minutes after he entered the classroom, in the predominantly Latino community that nestles among vegetable fields halfway between San Antonio and the US-Mexico border. .
In the Florida case, agents discovered that the weapons in the photo were BB guns, according to the news release.
Anderson was jailed and later released on bail, jail records show.
The records did not include the name of an attorney who could speak on Anderson’s behalf.
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