A 35-year-old Central Florida man threatened a mass shooting at a local elementary school.
Last week on September 13th, the Tampa Police Department charged 35-year-old Estaban Del Valle with Written or Electronic Threat to Conduct a Mass Shooting or Act of Terrorism.
According to law enforcement, that morning around 7:45am, Del Valle sent a threatening text message to a witness with whom he shares a young child. Del Valle was upset about the child’s suspension from Gorrie Elementary School, located at 705 West De Leon St. in Tampa.
In the text message, Del Valle threatened to shoot up the school, specifically targeting teachers. The witness immediately reported the threat to the school administration who, in turn, immediately contacted the Tampa Police Department.
Tampa Police Detectives quickly gathered evidence and confirmed that the threatening message originated from Del Valle’s phone. Del Valle was located at his home in Clearwater, located at 1482 Grove St. #2, and arrested with the assistance of Clearwater Police Department.
“Anyone who makes the choice to threaten a school is not only breaking the law, but they are also attempting to cause fear and disruption in our community,” said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. “No student or teacher should ever feel unsafe going to school. It should be clear that this type of behavior is not tolerated in the Tampa Bay area and that law enforcement will use every available resource to investigate, apprehend, and hold offenders accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Del Valle was transported to Pinellas County Jail.
