KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Two Osceola County middle-school students were recently arrested after investigators said they discussed carrying out a violent plot, possibly a mass shooting and stabbing attacks, at Horizon Middle School in Kissimmee.
- Deputies: Students placed others in "safe" and "stab" categories
- Investigation began Tuesday at Horizon Middle School, Kissimmee
- 2 arrested students said it was a joke; 3rd corroborated story
The students, whose names haven't been released, acknowledged drafting two lists of students, one under a “safe” category and another under a “stab” category, Osceola County Sheriff's investigators said.
The students said it was just a joke.
“There was also talk about sneaking a gun into the school and shooting students as well as stabbing them,” said a news release from Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Jacob Ruiz.
A third student, also unidentified, corroborated what detectives learned about the accused students’ conversations, Ruiz said.
The two students were charged with making written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting at Horizon Middle School, 2020 Ham Brown Road, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The accused students are being held in the Orange County Juvenile Detention Center on Bumby Avenue, which serves Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.
The investigation began Tuesday, when authorities heard about “a suspicious incident involving students at Horizon Middle School creating a list of students who would be ‘safe’ during an unknown event,” Ruiz said.
After some heard they would be safe, others feared they would not be safe, Ruiz noted.
“Through further investigation it was discovered two students had a conversation about carrying out school violence and possibly a shooting at the school,” he added.
“Though no date and time was discussed, a list was created with names of students on a ‘safe’ list and names of students on a ‘stab’ list.”