Columbine-Inspired School Shooting Stopped by a Fullerton Good Samaritan
FULLERTON – Two 16-year-old students are in custody at Orange County Juvenile Hall for their Columbine High School-inspired plot to shoot up their school.
Troy High School, in Fullerton, is a public magnet school, acclaimed for its Troy Tech and International Baccalaureate programs. Had it not been for the efforts of a Good Samaritan who overheard two students comparing notes about artillery at Tuesday’s girls’ soccer game, this honorable public education facility could have been the site of widespread tragedy.
According to Fullerton Police, the witness captured their images via cellphone, and presented evidence at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to a Fullerton Police Department School Resource Officer assigned to Troy High School for information regarding a possible “school shooting” plot.
The officer was told that the previous evening, two students were attending a Troy High School athletic event. During the event, the reporting party overheard the two students discussing their plans to “shoot up” the school in a manner “bigger than Columbine.”
They were also overheard discussing different types of firearms and the firearms’ effectiveness for use during the shooting. The reporting party, alarmed by the topic of conversation, covertly took a photo of the two students in order to be able to identify them to the police at a later time.
Upon receiving the information from the reporting party, the School Resource Officer immediately contacted Troy High School Administration and Fullerton Joint Union High School District officials. The two students were identified from the photos and were contacted on school grounds by officers.
Police investigations via internet media uncovered many images and mentions of firepower.
Initial investigation indicates the students did make statements similar to the statements reported to police. Evidence also indicates that the students conducted Internet research on various school shooting topics, including weaponry and prior school shootings (including Columbine) as recently as yesterday, in preparation for their plot.
Search warrants were written and served yesterday at multiple locations in Anaheim.
Both students have been detained for making criminal threats and conspiracy to commit a felony. The investigation is ongoing. State law prevents law enforcement from releasing the names of juveniles who have been arrested for crimes.
