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VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A teen boy was arrested after Volusia County deputies say text messages reveal a plan to enact a shooting at a school. The boy's arrest comes after his friend was arrested last month in connection to the alleged plot.
The backstory:
The Volusia County Sheriff's office investigated an anonymous tip on Feb. 22 regarding a student who planned a shooting at a Volusia County middle school. The tipster said they got the information from a friend and wanted to report the information.
The plan detailed when to arrive at school, where to meet up with her friend and where and what time of day to start the shooting. The plan even identified a teacher "that gave me an F- on my test," and named students, the arrest affidavit said.
Investigators traced the IP address to DeLand and identified Josephine Simmons-Peters, 12, – a student at Southwestern Middle School – as the suspect.
Josephine is facing multiple charges, including written threats to kill and misuse of a two-way communication device.
Suspect's friend speaks with deputies
Investigators spoke with a boy who Josephine said would help her with her "plan."
The boy later admitted his friend, Josephine, was the person who made the plan to shoot the school.
What we know:
Through an investigation, detectives recovered text messages between Simmons-Peters and the boy, 13, in which the plan was discussed, deputies said.
On March 9, the sheriff's office said the boy is now charged with making written threats to kill, conspiracy to commit a capital felony and unlawful use of a communication device.
Other school threats in Volusia County
The teen boy's arrest comes after another Volusia County student was arrested for a second time for making a written threat to kill, the sheriff's office said on March 5.
An 11-year-old student reportedly used another student's school account to send shooting threats to seven DeLand Middle School teachers.
This same student is currently in a diversion program for making a shooting threat in a group message at Southwestern Middle School from another student's account in October 2025.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Volusia County Sheriff's office.