California Teen’s Shooting Plot Discovered After Classmate Reports Columbine Fixation
Authorities say the suspect had mapped out the distance between the school and a local police station, and had a “hit list” of classmates.
Image via Adobe, by Bruce Stanfield
ONTARIO, Calif. – A student at Ontario Christian High School was arrested Saturday for planning to carry out a shooting on campus.
Authorities say Sebastian Villasenor, 18, had “every intention” to go through with an active shooter attack, reports ABC7. Police searched his home and seized seven rifles, three handguns, a shotgun, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, reports the Daily Bulletin. The weapons were legally owned by the teen’s parents, reports Fox11.
Authorities say the suspect had mapped out the distance between the local police station and Ontario Christian High School to determine law enforcement’s response time to the shooting, had a “hit list” of five or six Jane Does who were also students, and was in the process of selecting a date to carry out his attack. Police believe Villasenor may have wanted his attack to happen on or around the anniversary of the April 20, 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
Villasenor’s alleged school shooting plan came to light when one of his classmates expressed concerns about the suspect to school officials. The classmate observed Villasenor being fixated on school shootings and having access to weapons, reports NBC Los Angeles. School officials then notified local police who then conducted a search of Villasenor’s residence.
Authorities are trying to determine the suspect’s motive. He had been attending Ontario Christian High School for two years but was not bullied, according to police. However, he had a hard time making friends with his classmates and was obsessed with the Columbine mass shooting.
School and law enforcement officials thanked the student who reported their concerns about Villasenor.
“That student saved lives, spared families from losing their children and a community from being devastated from a senseless act of violence,” said Ontario Police Chief Michael Lorenz.
On Wednesday, Villasenor was charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of attempted criminal threat.
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
