DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A “cruel prank” orchestrated by several students is now blamed for the shooting scare at Mainland High School that brought every available law enforcement officer to the school Friday, according to Daytona Beach police.
According to a police statement issued Sunday on Facebook, investigators found the false alarm appeared to have been the work of several students who used a threat written in a bathroom stall the day prior to play a prank. The students, who have not been identified, are now facing pending felony charges, police said.
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Police said two groups of students who collaborated “to create a panic.”
The students on Friday were recorded in the school’s cafeteria getting into position and “timing their actions,” according to the statement. As several girls walked toward an administrator laughing and smiling, one of the students said someone had a gun, police said. A boy waiting for his cue then broke out into a run, prompting a large crowd to follow him, the statement reads.
The department said everyone involved has been identified and interviewed, and the “pranksters” face pending charges of making a false report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner against a person or persons, a second-degree felony.
Elizabeth Barnes dropped off her son at Mainland High School on Monday and noticed more officers on campus.
“Even if it was just a prank, again we have these systems in place because violence in schools is a real possibility,” Barnes said.
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Even though no gun or shots were fired at the school, Barnes explained what happened on Friday was still alarming.
“So far, I think that the school did as good of job it could do to communicate and I think it’s up to us as parents to be a part of the conversation,” Barnes said.
Read the full statement below:
Volusia County Schools also released a follow-up statement on Twitter Monday following the threats made against the school.
See our previous coverage of this story in the video players below.
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