Canadian teen arrested for threat to ‘shoot up’ Pride parade
The teen is expected to be extradited to Florida to face charges
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A teen in Canada has been arrested for threatening a mass shooting at an LGBT+ event in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The suspect's name was not released because they are a minor. Law enforcement officials announced Monday the teen had been arrested for allegedly threatening to attack the "Pride on the Block" event.
The teen reportedly made the threat on the social media site Omegle on Sunday, according to police. The teen can be seen holding a gun in the video. Miami law enforcement became aware of the the threat shortly after it was made and alerted the FBI and the NYPD, which has an international investigative team.
“The suspect, waving a gun in the video, said he lived in Palm Beach County, made anti-LGBTQ+ comments, and was going to commit a mass shooting on that day, at that event,” the West Palm Beach Police Department said in a statement.
Police added extra security to the event in the face of the threat.
"Yesterday's event was beautiful. People were very scared. The Pulse Nightclub shooting is still on everybody's mind, especially in our gay community," West Palm Beach Deputy Chief Rick Morris told WPTV. "We want the LGBTQ community to know we stand behind them. Every event they have, we will protect them from hate and ignorance."
The Toronto Police Service and the NYPD worked together to identify the 17-year-old, who was living in Canada. He was arrested at his home.
"We will continue to work with West Palm Beach P.D. and PBSO to provide safe and inclusive events for the entire LGBTQ community here in Palm Beach County," Julia Murphy, the chief development officer for the Compass LGBTQ Community Center, told the outlet.
The teen is facing charges in Florida — the location where the event he was threatening was taking place — which include "threats to commit a mass shooting," according to police. The teen will eventually be extradited to Florida to face charges.
"I think his intentions were to commit a terrorist act, a hate crime," Mr Morris said. "These people are not heroes that are doing the shooting. They're criminals. Some of them are terrorists."
The threat comes in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting that left 19 students and two faculty members of Robb Elementary School dead.
Since then, there have numerous arrests of individuals who post mass shooting threats on social media. At least two individuals in Florida, a 10-year-old boy and an adult, were arrested for making threats on social media.
Another man was arrested in Massachusetts for making a similar mass shooting threat on Facebook.