Pennsylvania man accused of planning high school shooting around this month's Columbine anniversary
Police in Pennsylvania have arrested a 20-year-old man accused of plotting a mass shooting at a high school later this month, one day after the anniversary of the Columbine massacre.
Braeden Phillips is accused of conspiring with another individual 'to commit murder(s) by planning a coordinated school shooting on April 21, 2025, at the State College High School,' according to a criminal complaint obtained by CNN.
Police say the suspect, a former State College resident, also planned to place bombs inside the school's bathrooms and that he and another individual had compiled a 'hit list' of people to target. The attack was planned for 8:40 a.m., a high traffic time at the school, according to the complaint.
Staff at a youth community center in State College called police after learning of the threat from one of the center's residents, according to a probable cause affidavit. That initial report led to interviews with others who told police the suspect had discussed the planned attack with them, the affidavit says.
The suspect first intended to carry out the attack on April 20, the 26th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, but witnesses indicated the date was moved because the anniversary fell on a Sunday, according to the affidavit. The 1999 Columbine massacre left 12 students and one teacher dead in one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history.
Phillips is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, police said in a statement Saturday. Individuals must be 21 to possess handguns in Pennsylvania, and police say the 20-year-old was seen with a black, Glock-style pistol on multiple occasions.
CNN is working to identify an attorney for Phillips. He is being held in Centre County Prison awaiting his preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for April 16. He was denied bail after being deemed an 'extreme danger to the community,' according to Pennsylvania court records.
The high school will hold classes as usual Monday, State College Area Superintendent Curtis Johnson said, noting that 'police have nothing to indicate that there is an active threat against the school.'
State College Police declined to comment to CNN about other individuals' possible involvement in the threat, citing the ongoing investigation.
State College Police said the Pennsylvania State Police and US Department of Homeland Security have assisted with the investigation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
10 killed in Austrian school shooting: A rare event for the country
10 people, including teenagers, were killed after a shooter opened fire at a high school in Austria on Tuesday. The shooting was one of the worst in the country's history. According to CNN, at first Austrian police said eight people were killed and then the number was raised to nine. Gerhard Karner, the country's interior minister, said that six of the victims were female and three were male. The victims also included children between 14 and 18 years old. Later in the day the Graz Regional Hospital said that a woman who was wounded in the attack died of her injuries, per NBC. There were 12 students also injured in the shooting, some of them seriously. During a press conference following the shooting, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker described Tuesday as a 'dark day in the history of our country.' 'There are no words to express the pain, disbelief and grief felt by the whole of Austria. Our country stands still in this moment of horror,' Stocker added. The country of Austria will be holding a period of mourning over the next three days to pay respect to the victims. A minute of silence will be held on Wednesday and the flag will be flown at half-staff at all public buildings, per The Washington Post. The incident occurred at the Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium Dreierschützengasse school in Graz, Austria's second largest city. Police first responded to reports of 'several' suspected gunshots at the school around 10 a.m. local time. Several vehicles, ambulance, a police helicopter and a special task force were deployed to the scene, per NBC. Over 300 police officers were sent to the scene to ensure an evacuation and cordon off the school. The injured students were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, per The Washington Post. The lone suspect in the shooting was identified as a 21-year-old Austrian male who had previously attended the school but did not graduate. He carried out the killing spree using a rifle and a handgun before fatally shooting himself in a bathroom, per CNN. 'According to the current state of the investigation, the alleged perpetrator committed suicide in a toilet facility,' said Gerald Ortner, director of the police for the state of Styria. Officials did not give a motive for the gunman, but they did share that he acted alone and they believe he obtained the weapons legally. Austria has a low prevalence of gun violence and school shootings are uncommon, per The Washington Post. Not including Tuesday's attack, Austria has had two public mass shootings since 2000, neither of which occurred at a school. The U.S. has had 119 in the same time period. According to The Washington Post, the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government defines a public mass shooting as those that take place 'in a public or populated location' in which at least four people were killed and some victims 'were targeted at random and/or for their symbolic value.' The country's most recent mass shooting was in 2020, when a man killed four people in Vienna, before being fatally shot by police. Credit for the attack was claimed by The Islamic State.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
With reporters shot and roughed up, advocates question whether those covering protests are targets
More than two dozen journalists have been injured or roughed up while covering protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles, leading press freedom groups to question whether law enforcement has been deliberately targeting reporters on the story. Journalists have been pelted with rubber bullets or pepper spray, including an Australian TV reporter struck while doing a live shot and a New York Post reporter left with a giant welt on his forehead after taking a direct hit. A CNN crew was briefly detained then released on Monday night. The advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said there have been at least 27 attacks on journalists — 24 from law enforcement — since the demonstrations started. The Committee to Protect Journalists, the First Amendment Coalition and Freedom of the Press Foundation were among the groups to express concern to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. In a letter, they said 'federal officers appear to have deliberately targeted journalists who were doing nothing more than their job covering the news.' Noem hasn't replied, David Loy, legal director of the First Amendment Coalition, said Tuesday. A Noem spokesperson didn't have an immediate comment for The Associated Press. Experts say the apparent hostility toward journalists, or a disregard for their role and safety, became particularly apparent during demonstrations following the death of George Floyd in 2020. A troubling indication of a decline in press freedom is the rapid escalation of threats journalists face in the United States, said Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. While most journalists covering wars receive training and safety equipment, it is apparent that many — particularly freelancers — don't have similar protection when assigned to events like the Los Angeles demonstrations, he said. 'It's not like covering a war zone,' Shapiro said. 'But there are some very specific skills and strategies that people need to employ. The First Amendment is only as strong as the safety of the journalists covering these events.' On Sunday, Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi was shot in the leg by a rubber bullet while reporting live, with a microphone in her hand, from protests in downtown Los Angeles. Widely circulated video shows her crying out in pain and clutching her lower leg as she and her camera operator quickly move away from a police line. She told 9News later that she was safe and unharmed. New York Post photographer Toby Canham was overlooking the 101 freeway when he was hit. He spent Monday in the hospital with whiplash and neck pain, and left with a red mark on his forehead. Shortly before he was shot, he said he saw someone throwing a water bottle with liquid at authorities. 'I completely understand being in the position where you could get injured,' Canham said. 'But at the same time, there was no justification for even aiming the rifle at me and pulling the trigger, so I'm a bit pissed off about that, to be honest.' Ben Camacho, a reporter at the local news website The Southlander, reported being shot twice. 'Unsure of what hit me both times but they hit like a sledgehammer and without immediate warning,' he wrote online. 'Elbow is wrapped with gauze and knee is weak.' Photojournalist Nick Stern was standing near some people waving a Mexican flags when he was shot in the thigh. He later had emergency surgery. 'I thought it was a live round because of the sheer intensity of the pain,' he told the AP. 'Then I passed out from the pain.' Lexis Olivier-Ray of L.A. Taco, an alternative independent media platform, thought he was safely positioned with some television crews but instead had pepper balls shot at him. Some reporters may have taken less care: one posted a clip from film he shot about 10 yards (9.1 meters) from a police officer with a rifle pointed at him. Not all of the incidents involved law enforcement. AP photographer Jae Hong was kicked and hit with sticks by protesters on Monday, his protective gear enabling him to escape injury. A Los Angeles TV reporter and her crew were forced away by demonstrators, one loudly yelling, 'get out of here.' CNN aired video of its correspondent, Jason Carroll, and his crew with their hands behind their backs being led away from a protest by officers. They were later released. In many past conflicts, journalists had a measure of protection because opposing sides wanted them to record their side of the stories, Shapiro said. Now many journalists are seen as superfluous by people who have other ways of delivering their messages, or a target by those who want to spread fear, he said. It illustrates the importance of proper training and protection, he said. For reporters in the middle of the story now, they should plan carefully — being aware of exit routes and safe zones, working in tandem with others and in constant communication with their newsrooms. 'We need everyone from major news outlets to television to citizen journalists,' he said. 'We need them on the street. But we need them to be safe.' ___ AP correspondent Jake Offenhartz in Los Angeles contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russia hits ‘shipbuilding sites' in Kyiv
Russia hit military sites in Kyiv overnight including 'aviation, missile, armoured vehicle and ship-building facilities', its defence ministry claimed. Kremlin officials said attacks on the Ukrainian capital struck command centres, troop deployment sites, weapon and equipment storage hubs, military airfield infrastructure, ammunition warehouses and fuel depots. 'All designated targets have been hit,' the defence ministry added. Kremlin-affiliated state media reported that attacks had also struck the Artem plant in Kyiv, a missile production facility. Challenging Russia's claim, Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, wrote on Telegram: 'Once again, Russian strikes are not hitting military targets, but the lives of ordinary people.' Kyiv is home to only one major shipyard, the Kuznia na Rybalskomu facility, which produces vessels for the Ukrainian navy. Ukraine has not yet confirmed if it was hit during the Russian attacks. An air alert for civilians remained active in the capital for five hours overnight as seven of the city's 10 districts fielded aggressive attacks which left residential buildings and a business centre smouldering. Ukrainian officials said that one person was killed and four more injured in Kyiv, as Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that 'concrete action' was needed to prevent future attacks. In the southern port city of Odesa, attacks on residential buildings and a maternity hospital left two people dead and nine wounded, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the regional military administration. Thanks for following our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. It has now ended for the day. Here's a reminder of what happened today: Volodymyr Zelensky called on the United States and Europe to respond to a fresh bout of Russian attacks The Telegraph's Senior Foreign Correspondent Memphis Barker described the intense sounds and smells of Russia's overnight bombardment on Kyiv Ukraine's military intelligence chief claimed that Russia has agreed to help North Korea begin production of Shahed-style 'kamikaze' drones Ukraine said it had exchanged captured soldiers with Russia, the second stage of an agreement struck at peace talks last week We will be back with more updates and analysis soon. The European Commission has proposed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia targeting its energy exports, financial institutions and military industry, with the aim of forcing Moscow to stop dragging its feet in negotiations. The measures include proposals to lower the G7 price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $45 per barrel and tighten measures against the country's 'shadow fleet.' Speaking at a joint press conference with Kaja Kallas on Tuesday, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, called the sanctions 'robust' and 'hard-biting', adding 'our message is clear: This war must end.' In May, European leaders threatened Moscow with 'massive' sanctions if it refused to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. The US plans to cut funding for a programme building new weapons for Ukraine, Pete Hegseth has said. Mr Hegseth, the US defence secretary, suggested the move was an attempt to achieve a 'negotiated peaceful settlement' in the war, but did not specify how far the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (Usai) would be cut. Under the programme, the Pentagon issues contracts to US defence firms to build equipment for Kyiv. 'We believe a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interests of both parties and our nation's interest, especially with all the competing interests around the globe,' Mr Hegseth told a congressional committee on Tuesday. 'I don't think the word victory has been well defined or the path to it. And as a result the path to peace that stops the killing and the carnage is something that president Trump is very invested in.' Ukraine said it had exchanged captured soldiers with Russia, the second stage of an agreement struck at peace talks last week for each side to free more than 1,000 prisoners. 'We continue the return of our people, as agreed in Istanbul,' Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, confirming the exchange without immediately disclosing the exact number of returnees. 'Today marks the first stage of the return of our injured and severely wounded warriors from Russian captivity. All of them require immediate medical attention. This is an important humanitarian act,' the Ukrainian president added. Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the Russian opposition party Yabloko, was arrested and charged with allegedly 'discrediting' Russia's armed forces on Tuesday after he made several remarks condemning the war in Ukraine, Reuters reports. In January, Mr Shlosberg described the war as a game of 'bloody chess' and said 'we must first stop killing people.' Members of the Yabloko party said that Mr Shlosberg's arrest was linked to these remarks, and that he faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Mr Shlosberg was labelled a 'foreign agent' by Russia's Justice Ministry in 2023 and faces separate criminal charges for refusing to comply with this label. Kyiv's St. Sophia Cathedral was damaged overnight in one of the largest Russian air attacks on the capital since the full-scale war began. Officials said that a blast wave destroyed a cornice on the main apse of the cathedral, one of Kyiv's most iconic buildings which dates back to the early 11th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Mykola Tochytskyi, Ukraine's Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, wrote on Facebook: 'Last night, the enemy struck at the very heart of our identity again.' 'St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a shrine that has survived centuries and symbolises the birth of our statehood, has been damaged,' Mr Tochytskyi continued. Russia launched one of its biggest air attacks on Kyiv overnight, officials said, using more than 300 drones and seven missiles in strikes that also hit other parts of the country. One person was killed and several more injured in the five hour-long attack on the capital that hit seven of the city's 10 districts, according to Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv's mayor. A Telegraph journalist was holed up in an air raid shelter and heard the buzzing of drones, followed by gunfire and loud explosions throughout the night. In the southern port city of Odesa, a maternity hospital and residential buildings were also hit, killing two people and injuring nine, local authorities said. Condemning the attacks, Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, said: 'You can't break Ukrainians with terror.' It came a day after Moscow launched its biggest overnight drone bombardment of the three-year war, considered part of a retaliatory response to Ukraine's extraordinary June 1 drone attack on Russia's remote bomber bases. 'It is vital that the response to this and other similar Russian attacks is not silence from the world, but concrete action,' Mr Zelensky said this morning, adding that two of the missiles were North Korean-made. In the aftermath of Ukraine's audacious 'Operation Spider's Web', which claimed as many as 41 of Russia's military jets in drone attacks on four airbases across the country last Sunday, Vladimir Putin vowed revenge, writes Lisa Haseldine. Relaying his conversation with the Russian president in the attack's aftermath, Donald Trump said – without the slightest hint of alarm or condemnation – 'president Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields'. Now, it appears that response has arrived. Overnight, Moscow launched its 'biggest overnight bombardment' of the war so far, according to Ukraine's air force, directing 479 drones and 20 missiles predominantly at the western and central parts of the country. The attack reached as far west as Rivne, unnerving Poland – Ukraine's neighbour – to such a degree that it felt compelled to scramble its air force to patrol for stray missiles. One woman was killed in Russia's huge combined overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital, announced Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration.'Once again, Russian strikes are not hitting military targets, but the lives of ordinary people. This once more shows the true essence of what we are dealing with,' Mr Tkachenko wrote on contradicts Russia's account of the attacks, which its defence ministry had claimed targeted military facilities. The Kremlin has said that it is still in talks with Kyiv over an exchange of soldiers killed in the war. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said that refrigerated trailers containing the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers had been waiting at the border for 'several days', in a statement to Russian media on Tuesday. Mr Peskov claimed that Ukraine has not yet provided bodies for the exchange. Moscow previously said that 1,000 bodies were to be handed over from its side. The exchange was agreed in Istanbul on June 2. It comes after both sides exchanged seriously wounded soldiers and those under the age of 25 on Monday. Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, said that Russia is 'too weak' to attack Nato countries, adding 'they're not even capable of defeating Ukraine.' Mr Orban, who is regarded as Vladimir Putin's closest EU ally, also told French TV channel LCI, that the leaders of the Russian Federation 'only understand the language of force, so Europe must also take steps to make itself strong.' Earlier this month, Mr Orban said he would do everything possible to prevent Ukraine from joining the European Union, claiming that Ukraine will 'drain every euro, forint, and zloty that we have invested in supporting European families, farmers, and industry.' Russian forces carried out strikes on military targets in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with high-precision weapons and drones overnight, its defence ministry said. The air strikes on Kyiv, among the largest in over three years of war, were part of intensified bombardments that Moscow says are retaliation for attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russia. Ukraine says the hours-long strikes hit civilian targets across the capital and at least four people were treated in hospital. Russia has agreed to help North Korea begin production of Shahed-style 'kamikaze' drones, according to Ukraine's military intelligence chief. Long-range kamikaze drones manufactured in North Korea could be used to help Russia strike Ukraine and potentially be used to strike South Korean targets, said Kyrylo Budanov in an interview with The War Korea has supplied soldiers, artillery, drones and ballistic missiles to Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. I could smell burning from my room and social media footage taken from rooftops showed clouds of smoke across the city. By 4.15am local time the attacks appeared to die down, after more than two hours of fairly constant assault. Whether there was further damage will become clearer in the coming hours. But already, by 9am, the city was back into its stride: the roads busy with people heading to work. Ukrainian overnight drone strikes forced a temporary suspension of flights in all airports serving Moscow and the country's second-largest city St Petersburg. Russia destroyed a total of 102 Ukrainian drones overnight, its defence ministry - which reports only how many were downed, not the number Ukraine launched - said, reporting no damage. Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia temporarily halted flights at all four major airports serving Moscow and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport, as well as at airports in nine other cities to ensure safety. Flights in Moscow and some other cities were restored by Tuesday morning, but restrictions were still in place in St. Petersburg at 5.30am BST. From my hotel room in Kyiv, you could hear the sounds of a massive drone strike for much of the night. First, the sour whine of a Shahed. Then the rattle of gunfire by Ukrainian air defences. Finally, all too often, a pounding explosion. For days the capital had braced for Putin's threatened 'revenge' for Operation Spider's Web. It appeared to arrive at around 2am, as the first of a steady flow of missiles swarmed over the city. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, had warned residents to take air raid warnings more seriously. There was little need to repeat the message, amid the staccato bursts of gunfire and percussive detonations. The hotel's air raid shelter filled up: those who had taken their chances the night before, when almost 500 drones were fired at Ukraine, lay on bean-bags or brought down pillows from their rooms. Even for Kyiv residents accustomed to Putin's nightly deliveries, it was a loud, sleepless night. Volodymyr Zelensky today called on the United States and Europe to respond to a fresh bout of Russian attacks of more than 300 drones and seven missiles. 'It is vital that the response to this and other similar Russian attacks is not silence from the world, but concrete action. Action from America, which has the power to force Russia into peace. Action from Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong,' the Ukrainian leader wrote in a post on social media, adding that two of the missiles were North Korean-made. We're bringing you all the latest from the war in Ukraine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
