A 10-year-old boy in Florida was arrested Saturday after allegedly sending a text message threatening to shoot at his school.
The arrest of Daniel Issac Márquez comes just five days after 19 children and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, by an upset 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Marquez is a fifth-grader at Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral, Florida.
After being interviewed by authorities, Márquez was charged with making a written threat to carry out a mass shooting.
Daniel Márquez, who is shown here as leaving the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, was described as a “sick man” by the sheriff.
The sheriff said: “My team did not hesitate for a second … NOT A SECOND, to investigate this threat.”
The School Threat Enforcement Team and the Youth Services Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the Patriot Elementary School incident.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a statement: “This student’s behavior is disgusting, especially after the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas.
“Making sure our children are safe is paramount. We will have law and order in our schools! My team did not hesitate for a second … NOT A SECOND, to investigate this threat.
The incident is being investigated by the School Threat Team and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Youth Services.
The sheriff went on to say, “Right now it’s not the time to act like a criminal. It’s not funny. This kid made a fake threat, and now he’s experiencing real consequences.”
Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old gunman, killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24, leaving many schools across the country on the edge.
This image of Deputy Sheriff Felix Ramos grabbing his wife Kimberly while they learned that his 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, was among the victims, was sent around the world.
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visit and lay flowers at a monument in front of Robb Elementary School
Two days after the robbery at Robb Elementary School, Sheriff Marceno was outspoken in his reaction to the media: “You can’t shoot our kids.” You bring lethal force to this country, we will kill you.
The sheriff thanked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for giving law enforcement to the state “tools” to keep children safe and preserve law and order.
On May 27, Sheriff Marceno appeared in an eight-minute video criticizing federal aid to Ukraine.
The sheriff said the money should be spent on “hardening the goal” of our schools.
In front of six sheriff’s officers, all armed with assault rifles and dressed in tactical gear, Marceno said Lee County residents should make sure their children are safe in schools in the area.
Marceno was first named Lee County Sheriff in 2018 by then-Governor Rick Scott following the resignation of former Sheriff Mike Scott.
After the Uvalde massacre, Lee County Sheriff appeared in a video assuring residents of his community that their children were safe at school.
Lee Marceno County Sheriff was photographed with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 23
In 2020, Marceno, a Republican, won a landslide election victory over Democratic rival Robert Neeld.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said in 2020 that Lee County’s crime rate dropped 18.4% during its initial term between 2018 and 2020.
This is despite the growing population of the region. Cape Coral became one of the most popular destinations for people leaving the cities in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is the second time in a week that the Cape Coral community has been shaken by a threat of violence against a school.
On May 26, a woman named Tracy Carter threatened to attend a high school graduation in the area with a fake bomb tied to her chest.
According to the Cape Coral Police Department, Carter was upset that his son could not graduate or attend the prom because of disciplinary issues.
Carter said she “would feel bad for the kids she would scare, but she really needed to be heard.” He stated that he did not intend to harm anyone.
Cape Coral’s wife, Stacy Carter, is accused of threatening to scare high school graduates with a fake bomb just two days after the events in Uvalde, Texas.
The woman added that she wanted to imitate Denzel Washington’s “John Q.” .
A subsequent search of Carter’s home found no material for making bombs.
The arrest of Daniel Márquez, 10, came just after the Justice Department announced a critical review of law enforcement’s response to initial 911 calls about the Uvalde shooting.
DOJ spokesman Anthony Coley said in a press release, “The purpose of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day.”
The review comes after it was revealed that Ramos’ rage in Uvalde continued for 77 minutes before a border patrol officer charged him.
Parents of Robb Elementary School students showed up at the school after hearing reports of a shooting while the massacre continued inside.