Florida teen accused of threatening mass shooting in New York City subway
A Florida teen is facing federal charges after investigators say he threatened a mass shooting in New York City on Thanksgiving.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Robert Trout III, 19, allegedly posted a video on Instagram making threats to go to New York City and "cause havoc on the subway" by shooting "anybody" that he sees on Thanksgiving.
"If you’re from New York City, do not take the train on Thursday evening, bro," Trout said in the video.
In a press release, federal officials said during Trout's rant on Instagram, he displayed "multiple firearms" including two semiautomatic guns with extended clips containing a total of 60 bullets, while stating, "that’s 60 shots - that’s sixty people dead."
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According to investigators, they were able to identify Trout as the person of interest thanks to witness statements, along with several recent posts on Trout's Instagram account, that have since been taken down.
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Trout made his first court appearance on Thursday in federal court in Tampa and was ordered to be held without bail pending his next court appearance on Dec. 18.
If convicted, Trout faces up to five years behind bars.