Three students at Creekside High School in St. Johns County have been arrested on charges of making threats to kill other students.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 15-year-old and two 14-year-olds for what investigators called credible threats.
Deputies discovered group text messages that discussed the identification of targeted students including photographs with faces circled, aerial photographs of Creekside High School with an on-campus location circled and the use of firearms.
The students created a “hit list” of students the group wanted to physically harm and a “lethal hit list” of students they wanted to kill, according to a report by News4Jax.
“We are convinced that these young men were going to follow through with this lethal hit list with violence,” said Sheriff Robert Hardwick.
The Sheriff’s Office has two full-time threat assessment deputies assigned to St. Johns County schools. They are trained to investigate threats and intervene to ensure the safety of students and faculty.