A 13-year-old Washington boy allegedly “obsessed” with past school shooters was arrested after police found a stockpile of guns, boxes of ammunition, and chilling writings suggesting he was plotting his own killing spree.
The teen suspect, who has not been identified, was taken into custody after police raided his Tacoma home at 1 a.m. upon receiving numerous tips that he had “school shooter ideations,” made lethal threats, and bragged about his access to firearms, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
Police seized 23 guns — some reportedly homemade with a 3D-printer — along with loaded magazines scrawled with “school shooter” writings and menacing clothing tied to a mass shooting incident.
“It appeared the suspect had everything ready to go to commit a mass shooting type of incident,” Deputy Carly Cappetto said in a video posted Monday on Facebook.
“It is unknown who or what the intended target was going to be but it is clear it was only a matter of time before a tragic incident occurred.”
Shocking footage released by the sheriff’s office showed long guns and black AR-15s laid out on tables, with about eight handguns scattered on the floor and six large tan boxes of ammo.
Most of the firearms were found mounted on the walls throughout the teen’s home, while handguns were left unsecured, Cappetto said.
Authorities also found a “go bag” in the alleged would-be-killer’s bedroom, packed with multiple boxes of ammo and AR-style magazines, some marked with scribbles referencing mass shootings, including the Columbine High School massacre, according to court documents obtained by multiple outlets.
Other evidence collected suggested the troubled boy — who hasn’t been enrolled in school since 2021 — idolized past school shooters, imitating their behaviors through photos and inscriptions scattered throughout his room.
The disturbed teen also shared alarming posts on social media dating back to June, showing him holding guns and referencing Columbine and the 2022 Uvalde, Texas ,elementary school tragedy, cops said.
One post showed the barrel of a semi-automatic rifle sticking out of what appeared to be a mandolin case worn as a backpack, captioned: “U’d never expedct it [sic],” court documents obtained by NBC News said.
The alleged aspiring mass shooter was charged with attempted threat to bomb/injure a school, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of fireworks.
His parents have not been charged, the outlet reported.
The arrest comes nearly two weeks after deranged transgender gunman Robin Westman, 23, slaughtered two children and injured at least 17 others at a Catholic school in Minneapolis.
Westman’s sick manifesto, written almost entirely in Cyrillic, confessed a love of violence and a lifelong obsession with mass shooters — including Sandy Hook killer Adam Lanza — as well as the chilling acknowledgement, “I have had thoughts about mass murder for a long time.”
