MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL. (THECOUNT) — At least one South Florida teen is facing felony charges after a group of teens appeared in separate short music videos threatening to conduct shooting at several Miami area high schools.
The disturbing videos, featuring rap music and posted to TikTok, show at least one Christopher Columbus High School student lip syncing to music while making gun gestures. Gunshot sound effects were timed to the hand gestures.
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During the short music videos, on-screen pop ups spell out the names of Florida area schools including Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. When a gunshot is heard, the school’s name then disappears from the screen. La Salle, Belen and MSD are also mentioned in the music shorts.
He’ll keep shooting “’til the bullets are all gone,” says one teen in the video.
The posting led to jail and federal charges for one Christopher Columbus High School student.
The father of the teen arrested said he now fears his son will always be known as “that kid.” “Now he’ll be identified as a person that made a 10-second video with horrible ramifications,” the visibly shaken father said.
The father is not alone, several other students across sections of Miami-Dade County made similar videos. No one else has been arrested, reports CBS19.
Orlando Valdes, the suspect’s father, said he was appalled by the images from the video. He called the video and the posting out of character for his son, but he also talked about how damaging the posting is for everyone else.
“Horrible, horrible representation of himself, his family, his community, his friends,” Valdes said. “Now he’ll be identified as a person that made a 10-second video with horrible ramifications.”
His son faces the felony charge of a written threat to kill or cause bodily injury. He said he’s had several discussions with son on the matter, emphasizing the severity of his actions.
The teen is set to appear in court in two weeks.
TikTok calls itself “the destination for short-form mobile videos.” Its slogan is “Make Your Day.”
“Our mission is to capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge, and precious life moments, directly,” according to the TIKTOK company website.
Stoneman Douglas is where a gunman killed 17 people and injured 17 others in a mass shooting on Valentine’s Day 2018.
The investigation is ongoing. It is unclear if officials plan any more arrests.
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Geo quick facts: Miami, officially the City of Miami, is an American city that is the seat of Miami-Dade County, and is the cultural, economic and financial center of South Florida. The city covers an area of about 56 square miles between the Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east – Wikipedia.