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Teen arrested for alleged mass shooting threat at Hernando County high school

Deputies say the student told them they thought it would be funny because of recent mass shooting threats.

BROOKSVILLE, Fla — A teen was arrested for threatening a mass shooting at Central High School on Snapchat, Hernando County deputies say.

The 16-year-old student is charged with written threats to kill or injure, according to a sheriff's office news release. 

10News is not identifying the student because of their age.

Deputies say the student, who attends Springstead High School, sent a Snapchat picture that contained an assault-type rifle lying on a bed with the caption, "Yo bruh bouta run it up at central." 

It was posted during the previous school week, sometime between Aug. 27-30, according to deputies. 

Deputies responded to Central High School on Saturday to check for anything suspicious, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. 

Deputies say they later met with the student at their home, where the student told them the picture was meant to be funny because of recent hoax bomb and shooting threats.

It later was determined the rifle actually was an airsoft gun.

"Every threat made on a school, no matter what media it comes through, is taken as actual. It takes a tremendous amount of resources to react to each of these threats and to investigate the source of the threat," Sheriff Al Nienhuis said in the release.

"It is critically important for parents to stress the consequences of making such school threats or inappropriate comments regarding such matters in any and all school settings."

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