TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – New details have emerged regarding a school shooting threat in Leon County that led to three local schools being put on closed school protocol last week.
Demetrius Murray, 33, was arrested in Gadsden County just hours after the alleged threat and was charged with written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism. Murray has since been moved to Leon County Jail.
New details have emerged regarding a school shooting threat in Leon County that led to three local schools being put on closed school protocol last week.(Must credit Leon County Jail)
According to a probable cause affidavit, Murray told investigators that a debt collection firm was trying to collect from him because he defaulted on a business loan. Records reveal that Murray then went to Kate Sullivan Elementary and Cobb Middle School, which are next to each other, and made a video across the street with a gun.
The court records wrote what Murray said in the video. ”Kill these kids in the name of [the debt collection firm]… I got a 9mm gun in my hand. I’m going to this middle school and I’m about to shoot this middle school up right now.”
More on crime in our area:
Per court documents, Murray was not at the school when law enforcement caught up with him and was instead at a Dollar General on Highway 90 in Gretna.
The accused man also told investigators that the threat “was a way to get [the debt collection firm] to leave him alone.”
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.
Copyright 2025 WCTV. All rights reserved.