Volusia County 15-year-old threatened mass shooting online, deputies say

15-year-old called himself the ‘next Greenwood Mall shooter’

Volusia County Sheriff's Office (WKMG 2021)

PORT ORANGE, Fla. – A 15-year-old Port Orange boy was arrested Wednesday after making online threats to become the next mass shooter, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said in a press release that they, along with the Port Orange Police Department, were made aware of the threats the teen made on a Discord server — which is an online chat service largely used in computer gaming.

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In the posts, the teen called himself the ‘next Greenwood Mall shooter’ and said he was ‘not or have had been joking,’ according to the release. He also made posts about targeting Hispanic people and posted pictures of guns, investigators said.

The release said the posts were discovered through an anonymous tip to the FBI, which prompted an investigation into the teen, and Volusia County law enforcement was called to make the arrest.

Volusia County deputies, along with Port Orange police officers, responded to the 15-year-old’s home and arrested him.

There were no guns found during the investigation.

The teen was charged with making written threats to kill, a felony. He is in secure custody at the Department of Juvenile Justice.


About the Author

Penny De La Cruz started working at WKMG-TV in September 2021. Before joining News 6, Penny worked at KSAT 12 in San Antonio, Texas.

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