Flagler Teen Charged After Making Threats With Gun On Snapchat

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Matanzas High School

Palm Coast, FL - A 15-year-old Matanzas High School student is now charged with written threats to kill after he posed with a gun on Snapchat.

It was just before 2:00 yesterday afternoon (September 30th) when Flagler County deputies were notified of a possible threat at Matanzas High. The tip supposedly came from an anonymous witness who said Devin Jones, a student, made a threat in a video against the school.

In that video, Jones could be seen wielding a "long gun style firearm," pointing it at the screen and appears to be talking. But, because the video was recorded off of another screen, there is no audio. The actual video was made four weeks prior and was not able to be obtained because it was removed by Jones off of Snapchat.

There was also a caption on the video that said: “I got sum for y’all just wait till 2;15."

Since there seemed to be the possibility of a gun on campus, deputies immediately responded to the campus, where they found Jones in the in-school suspension room. A quick search of his backpack also produced no firearms.

After the search, Jones was asked about he had made on Snapchat, to which he responded that he was almost "jumped" in the bathroom by seven other males today. Jones said he sent the above Snapchat video to let them know who they were messing with and that he would fight them after school.

According to Jones, the video only showed him in the clothes he was currently wearing that day, saying that he would fight the other males.

But, when deputies showed the school's dean the video they found, Jones immediately stated: "that video was old."

During an interview with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Jones said that the gun he used was a prop for a music video he was in called "Run It" by Yung Flag. The video he made was supposedly taken on the same day this rap video was taken.

After speaking with Jones, deputies spoke with the witness over the phone. The witness said that they are a recent graduate of Matanzas High School and had Jones on Snapchat. After seeing the video, he recorded it off of his screen and kept it for law enforcement.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office was notified and went to meet the witness for a statement.

After notifying his mother, Jones was taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Daytona Beach, charged with written threats to kill.

“We cannot stress the fact enough that we have a zero-tolerance policy in Flagler County and making a threat will be taken seriously,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Whether you think it is a joke or not, making a threat is a crime with serious consequences. Any and all threats will be investigated. I am thankful for the anonymous person who called to alert us to the video. Parents, talk to your kids!”

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