A 17-year-old teen has been charged with planning a mass shooting at West Palm Beach’s “Pride on the Block” Monday, according to a Palm Beach County Human Rights Council press release.
The teen, whose name has not yet been released, has been taken into custody in Canada where he is being charged.
In a video posted on the video chat platform “Omegle,” the teen was shown wielding a gun and making death threats. He claimed to be a resident of Palm Beach County and appeared to have very specific knowledge about the location of the event, according to the West Palm Beach Police Department.
“Pride on the Block” is an annual block party and fundraiser held in downtown West Palm Beach. The event began in March 2020 and celebrates Pride Month in South Florida and helps raise funds for “Transpire Help,” a local LGBTQ+ nonprofit.
This year’s event was held on Sunday and just hours before it was set to begin, a person who saw the video on “Omegle” notified the City of Miami Beach Police Department of the threats, which immediately informed the West Palm Beach Police Department.
The event organizers were informed and uniformed officers, as well as SWAT team members and undercover officers, were dispatched to the event.
“Heartfelt thanks go out to the City of West Palm Beach Police Department for their prompt and thorough response to a credible threat against the local LGBTQ+ community,” Rand Hoch, a retired judge who serves as President of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC), said.
“Transpire Help” founder Donna Weinberger produced “Pride on the Block” and said that over 2,000 LGBTQ+ and allied people attended their third annual event.
“Once we were informed of the threat, police officers were promptly dispatched to ensure our safety,” Weinberger said.
The West Palm Beach Police Department worked with the New York City Police Department, the FBI, the Toronto Police Service and the Peel Regional Police Service to help find and apprehend the teen, according to Rick Morris, the deputy police chief of West Palm Beach.
“We want the LGBTQ community to know we stand behind them. Every event they have, we will protect them from hate and ignorance,” Morris said.
Despite facing severe charges in Canada, the City of West Palm Beach plans to extradite him to Florida to face the charges, which include anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime charges.
“We hope justice is served and hope the man gets the help he needs,” Morris said.
