Authorities said Thursday that they prevented an "unimaginable tragedy" by foiling a teenager's elaborate plot to kill his family and bomb the junior and senior high school in the southern Minnesota city of Waseca.
Police arrested 17 year old suspect Tuesday and charged him in juvenile court Thursday with four counts of attempted first degree murder, six counts of possessing explosive or incendiary devices and two counts of criminal damages to property. The charges say he told police, he intended to kill "as many students as he could" The school superintendent, said the 11th grader was known to school officials but they never had no major issues with him. He said teachers tried to reach out to him, but he was shy
"We have escaped what could have been a horrific experience"
~ Thomas Lee, School Superintendent
Captain Kris Markeson told reporters that authorities believe the teenager was acting alone and would have carried out the attack in the next few weeks if he hadn't been caught. Markeson said he was disturbed by the amount of guns and other material the youth obtained. He said he could not divulge if specific students were targeted . The police were tipped by a resident who reported a suspicious person at a self-storage facility.
"This case is a classic example of citizens doing the right thing in calling the police when things seem out of place. By doing the right thing, (an) unimaginable tragedy has been prevented", Markeson said.
According to the charging documents, the suspect kept a 180 page notebook that detailed his plans. He allegedly told police, he planned to shoot his mother, father and sister, then start a fire in a rural field to distract first responders while he went to the school to set off pressure-cooker bombs in the cafeteria. He also allegedly planned to throw Molotov cocktails, gun down students and kill a school liaison officer while he helped injured students. He said his ultimate goal was for a SWAT team to kill him
The teen allegedly referenced the Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in his notebook and idolized the Columbine shooters. An officer found the teen in the storage unit. Police got a break Tuesday with the tip. An officer found the teen in a storage unit that had numerous materials that could have been used to make bombs.
According to the documents, the boy was initially defensive but told officers he would tell them what he was doing if they could guess correctly. When an officer guessed he was making explosive devices, he allegedly said "Yes" and agreed to speak. he allegedly told police he would have shot the responding officer if he had brought a gun to the storage unit. He told police he had ammunition, guns and bombs in his bedroom and provided a key to his gun safe to officers. Police recovered seven firearms, ammunition and three functional bombs from the boys home, along with black clothing and a ski mask. KARE-TV reported
The 17 year old made his first court appearance Thursday and was sent to juvenile detention center in red wing, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported. His next court date is May 12...
Source ~ Fox News
According to the documents, the boy was initially defensive but told officers he would tell them what he was doing if they could guess correctly. When an officer guessed he was making explosive devices, he allegedly said "Yes" and agreed to speak. he allegedly told police he would have shot the responding officer if he had brought a gun to the storage unit. He told police he had ammunition, guns and bombs in his bedroom and provided a key to his gun safe to officers. Police recovered seven firearms, ammunition and three functional bombs from the boys home, along with black clothing and a ski mask. KARE-TV reported
The 17 year old made his first court appearance Thursday and was sent to juvenile detention center in red wing, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported. His next court date is May 12...
Source ~ Fox News
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