Three Students Arrested for Alleged School Shooting Plot in New York
Three students from upstate New York have been taken into custody for allegedly planning a school shooting. One of them reportedly wrote, “No one will be saved,” expressing intentions to imitate the tragedies of Columbine and Sandy Hook at a middle school, police said.
According to a police affidavit, as highlighted by local media, one of the students shared in a diary that the potential shooting aimed to inflict pain on their bullies. There was also a concerning comment about wanting to be remembered in a horrific manner.
The authorities swiftly arrested a 13-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl, and a 14-year-old girl after investigating claims raised over the weekend, according to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.
Reports indicate that students at Clinton Middle School were planning a copycat shooting in the cafeteria set for April 17. Following the investigation, the two girls were charged with misdemeanor aggravated threats of mass bodily harm and were referred to the county’s probation office.
The 13-year-old boy faces a felony charge of second-degree conspiracy. He was released into custody with orders to appear in court for further proceedings.
Authorities recovered 11 rifles and ammunition from a safe at the boy’s mother’s home in Kirkland, NY. This was reported in local news citing the police affidavit.
One of the female students has shown an intense obsession with the Columbine shooting that occurred in 1999—an event in which 13 lives were lost. Friends and family mentioned she displayed interest in Adam Lanza, who was responsible for the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012.
Additionally, police learned of a Snapchat group formed by the suspects, oddly named the Cal Gabriel Fan Club, after a character from a fictional school shooting plot film. Online searches conducted by the girl also reportedly included topics on guns and the aforementioned school shootings.
Authorities have urged anyone with more information about this situation to get in touch with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division.
