What’s the story?
According to a report published by News 13 in Orlando, a teenager (name not released) at a middle school in Poinciana, Florida, brought a "kill list" to class earlier this week. The kid from Charter School revealed he was inspired by "The List" made famous by WWE Superstar Chris Jericho.
The listicle constructed by the 14-year-old boy comprised the names of the school’s football players. Apparently, the catalogue was a guide for the people he didn’t like and was supposedly going to shoot them.
Following the incident, Michelle Spangler, who is the mother of 14-year-old twins said, “I made a decision not to send my kids to school the next day because I personally did not feel safe. I still today do not feel safe.”
In case you did not know
Chris Jericho got a new addition to his character last year which had him create “The List” or “The List of Jericho.” The way it works is that if he doesn’t like someone, he adds their name to the list.
The heart of the matter
Following the incident, a robocall was made by the school to conduct an investigation and to ensure that proper measures were taken. However, the boy’s family believes he had no intention of killing anyone or even cause harm.
Also, a report from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office state that deputies contacted the student, and his family to discuss the incident, where the boy revealed he got the idea for the “kill list” from watching the WWE show Monday Night Raw which featured the WWE superstar.
The officials at the Renaissance Charter School are yet to diverge if any disciplinary action will be taken against the student.
What’s next
The school released an official statement soon after the incident stating, “These concerns are all based on rumours, and we are not going to proliferate these rumours any further.”
However, Michelle Spangler believes that more needs to be done about this situation which has threatened the safety of the kids. It cannot be simply ignored as the teenager was completely aware of his doings.
Sportskeeda’s take
Chris Jericho’s “List” was constructed for entertainment purposes and to create a storyline regarding other WWE superstars he likes or doesn’t like. The list was never intended to be anything evil or cruel, but the teenager from Florida had added a sinister twist to the list. An incident like this instil fear amongst the students and their parents and we pray such an episode doesn’t recur in the future.
