Galaxy MS Student Charged Following Instagram School Shooting Rumor

Posted

Deltona, FL - A 13-year-old female Galaxy Middle School student is facing a misdemeanor charge in connection with an unfounded Instagram message regarding rumors of a possible shooting at Galaxy Middle School. The post urged students to stay home from Galaxy Middle School due to a possible school shooting, and the post falsely claimed that law enforcement asked students to stay home on Monday, February 26. You can find a photo of the social media post, provided by VCSO, below:

The student is charged with a misdemeanor for disrupting school function, and VCSO is preparing an affidavit for the cost of the investigation. It has not been officially determined if the 13-year-old girl was the original author of the post, but Volusia County Sheriff's Office says that, as a result of her sharing the message, there were significant student absences and school functions were disrupted. The investigation of the post also took up the investigative resources of VCSO. "Individuals who share social media posts about potential threats instead of reporting them directly to law enforcement cause potential disruptions at schools, and, as evidenced by this case, may face criminal charges. If found guilty, those individuals may also be held responsible for the entire cost of the law enforcement investigation," VCSO said in a news release on Monday. Photo courtesy jannoon028 and Shutterstock.com Southern Stone Communications 2018.
featured