Venice student charged with making threat against school

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - A 14-year-old boy has been arrested after police say he threatened to shoot people at his school.

Venice Police officers arrested the boy Thursday morning in connection with his alleged threats to commit a shooting at the Student Leadership Academy.

Investigators believe the boy was upset with another student and told students his desire to commit a shooting and not to come to school the following day. When confronted by one of the witnesses, the boy claimed he was just joking.

Police say the boy has a history of making similar threatening statements that were previously investigated by school administrators.

“We thank the youths that came forward with this information. We take threats such as these very seriously,” the Venice Police department said on its Facebook page. “We encourage parents to talk to their children about the seriousness of the words they use. Children need to understand the seriousness and potential ramifications of making flippant comments such as these.”

The investigation is ongoing, police say. Anyone with any information is asked to call 941-486-2444 regarding case #23-0478.