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Daniel Marquez: Mugshot released of Florida boy, 10, who told pal to 'get ready' for mass shooting

Marquez has no previous criminal history, but whether he has a history of mental illness is unclear

LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Florida Police have released a mugshot of a 5th grader who had threatened to carry out a school shooting days after the deadly Uvalde massacre. Lee County Sheriff’s Office identified the boy as Daniel Issac Marquez, 10, a student at Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral. He was handcuffed and walked into a police cruiser for his written threat. Defending publicly exposing the juvenile, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said that "a child pulling a trigger equals the same aftermath." Videos of the boy's arrest were also posted on social media by police. 

"I scammed my friend," the boy's alleged text read. According to his arrest report, it included a Google image of money He later, wrote, "I bought this", attaching images of four assault rifles. He then wrote, "Get ready for water day", which is a recent school-sponsored event in which students participate in water activities.

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"He described wads of cash and "get ready" to commit a mass shooting," Marceno said of the text during a W radio interview. "We don't wait one second. We investigate every threat as if it's real." "Every single threat is real. Every threat is real until you prove not," he added.

"I did a campaign. Fake threat, real consequence. While I understand the boy is 10 years old. His brain's not fully developed, he's a juvenile, I have to tell you. When a 10-year-old presses a trigger, the aftermath is the same regardless of the age," the sheriff said. He added, "You don't get to come into one of my schools in my county and present deadly force. Because we meet deadly force with delay force, without one second, without hesitation. If you think you're going to come and kill a child or a faculty member, think again. We will kill you immediately."

Marquez has no previous criminal history, but whether he has a history of mental illness is unclear. Marceno said that he also holds the boy's parents accountable, adding that no charges have been filed against them. "We hold the parents accountable," he said. "When your son or daughter are online don't just leave them in a room online. We've seen juveniles researching on Columbine and how to commit a mass shooting and buy guns on the black market."

"Nothing is off limits today. I need the parents to be parents, guardians to be guardians and make sure they monitor their children. If we need to get their child help, if they document they have mental illness, we need to get them the help they need to make certain that we're protecting everyone," he added. 

After his arrest, Marceno had said, "This student’s behavior is sickening, especially after the recent tragedy in Uvalde. Making sure our children are safe is paramount.” The incident is being investigated by the School Threat Enforcement Team and the Youth Services Criminal Investigations Division. 

"The Youth Services Criminal Investigations Division took on the case after the sheriff’s office’s School Threat Enforcement Team was tipped off to the boy's messages. “We will have law and order in our schools! My team didn’t hesitate one second…NOT ONE SECOND, to investigate this threat,” Marceno said. "Right now is not the time to act like a little delinquent. It’s not funny. This child made a fake threat, and now he’s experiencing real consequences." Marceno was named as sheriff of Lee County first in 2018 by then-governor Rick Scott, after previous Sheriff Mike Scott resigned.

Lee County releasing mugshots of minors is not unusual. On various previous occasions, it has publicized crimes of children by posting their photos, releasing their names and detailing their alleged crimes online.