ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. – Police have arrested two boys who were plotting to carry out a mass shooting at Volunteer High School.
The suspects were allegedly plotting a school massacre at the high school that would make them the most notorious mass murderers of all time, Times News reports.
Authorities said the 16-year-old and 17-year-old boys, whose names have not been released, studied the 1999 Columbine school shooting to correct “mistakes” made by those shooters.
The two students were trying to maximize the number of student and faculty deaths in their planned attack at Volunteer High School.
Police became aware of the plot last October when a parent found a notebook outlining the plans. One of the boys’ counselors, a mental health professional, later recognized that the plot was real and contacted authorities.
In December, authorities searched the home of the younger suspect, and seized guns owned by the boy’s father, as well as journals detailing plans for the attack, floor plans of the high school, fire crackers and gunpowder, the Associated Press reports.
Additionally, law enforcement officials found online videos of the boys holding AR-15 rifles and detonating Molotov cocktails.
Both suspects have been in custody since the investigation began.
The students are charged with conspiracy to commit first degree murder, conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism and possession of explosive components.
