Four juveniles arrested after 3 school shooting threats in one Kentucky county

Four juvenile students have been arrested following three separate threats of school shootings in Boone County, according to the county’s sheriff’s office

In the latest arrest, an eighth grader at Ockerman Middle School in Florence was charged Wednesday after allegedly making threats to shoot three eighth-grade girls as well as seventh-graders in general, according to the sheriff.

The 13-year-old student admitted to searching the internet for a sub-machine gun during class. Six separate students came forward with allegations to school law enforcement, the sheriff said.

The sheriff’s office stated the boy made threats to fellow students over the last several weeks that included, “You’re on my list,” “You’re going to be the first to go,” “You’re dead,” “I’m coming for you,” “I am going to shoot the school,” “Watch out,” “Watch out, I’m warning you,” “You’re off my safe list,” “I can’t wait to blast these seventh-graders” and “I will spray this school with bullets.”

He also allegedly made hand gestures such as holding his hand in the shape of a gun and pointing it at students, the sheriff’s office said.

Additionally, two 14-year-old boys were charged Monday after making threats to Erlanger’s Ignite Institute.

One of the suspects admitted to making the threats but said he was joking, according to the sheriff. The other student showed investigators a Snapchat post he sent to other students stating, “Don’t come to school tomorrow,” accompanied by a green gun emoji and a dynamite emoji, the sheriff said.

The school said in a statement to Fox 19 that mental health issues were at the root of these behaviors.

“We provide mental health therapists at our schools,” part of the statement read. “When the issues get this bad our therapists ask that they be seen at an advanced level outside our schools.”

The first incident came to a heed Saturday with the arrest of a 13-year-old student at Jones Middle School in Florence, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office said.

The student allegedly told another student that he was going to “shoot up the school with guns” and his target was going to be the “popular kids and teachers” at the middle school.

The male student allegedly confessed to the sheriff’s office and said his plan was delayed until he could obtain a bullet-proof vest. He was upset over recently being suspended after getting into a fight at school, which was the basis for the threat, the sheriff said. The boy did not have immediate access to weapons or body armor, according to the sheriff.

All four juveniles were charged with second-degree terroristic threatening and placed in the Campbell County Juvenile Detention Center.