An 11-year-old Florida boy was recently taken into custody and transported to a county jail following allegations of his possession of a vast array of weapons and his purported plans to execute a “kill list” at two different schools, as reported by a local sheriff. The boy, Carlo “Kingston” Dorelli, had his collection of airsoft guns, knives, and swords seized by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office after he shared a video of his arsenal with schoolmates and issued threats of violence, according to Sheriff Mike Chitwood’s statement on social media.
Chitwood revealed that Dorelli had assembled a list of names and targets, although the boy maintained that it was all a prank. In reaction to his “joke,” the sheriff’s office charged Dorelli with a felony for a written threat of a mass shooting. A video was later released showing officers escorting the handcuffed boy into the jail.
In addition to Dorelli’s mugshot, the sheriff’s office also released a photo of the confiscated weapons, which included imitation assault rifles, samurai swords, and throwing stars, displayed on a table in a manner reminiscent of a drug raid. This dramatic presentation came shortly after Chitwood vowed to publicly expose children who make hoax threats, in the wake of a surge of false tips following a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, which claimed four lives.
Chitwood cautioned in a press conference the previous week that every arrest would be publicized, after a night when Florida authorities received 54 false tips about potential school shootings. However, Florida is not the only state grappling with a deluge of school shooting threats.
In Foley, Alabama, two teenagers were arrested for “making a terrorist threat” on social media, as per local police reports. This incident occurred just days after a school in the town was put on lockdown due to a teacher overhearing a student discussing possession of a weapon. On the same day, a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old were arrested in Indianapolis for making threats against their school district, as reported by WFYI Indianapolis.
Last week in Texas, two 12-year-olds were arrested, marking at least 10 arrests this school year for threats of school violence, as reported by My San Antonio. Chitwood expressed his frustration with the situation, warning those who find humor in making such threats on social media that they will be caught.