Two teenagers were arrested for allegedly conspiring to commit a mass shooting similar to the Columbine massacre at a school in Southwest Florida.
NBC affiliate WBBH-TV reports the teens were arrested by Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies after a fellow student told a teacher at Harns Marsh Middle School in Lehigh Acres they though one of the eighth-grade students had a gun.
The students, ages 13 and 14, were searched and while no weapons were found a map of the school with locations of cameras marked was found in one backpack.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said search warrants were issued for the students’ homes, where a gun and several knives were found.
Detectives said the teens had an interest in the April 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado and had researched how to construct a pipe bomb and buy firearms off the black market.
Local
Both teens will be charged with conspiracy to commit a mass shooting.
