A Marion County sheriff’s deputy was called to assist Ocala Police officers Wednesday after a student received a social media message warning against attending school.
The deputy spoke with a woman and her nephew at a home in the 2100 block of SW 42nd Avenue in Ocala. The nephew said he received a Snapchat message from an unknown person titled “Don’t go to school tomorrow.” He showed the deputy the photo that accompanied the message showing a juvenile, with his face covered in a blue bandana, holding a shotgun-style weapon, a sheriff’s office report says.
When asked who might have sent the Snapchat message, the boy said he thought it came from a Fort King Middle School student, since it was sent to several other students as well, the report says.
The deputy made an Ocala Police sergeant aware of his conversation and forwarded an image of the Snapchat message to him. The sergeant said he would share it with other school resource officers as well, the report says.