Latest news with #massviolence
Washington Post
5 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
A teen threatened to shoot up his school. Is keeping him in jail the answer?
Alex Ye's crime was clear. In online messages, a book he was writing and statements made to others, the 19-year-old had mentioned shooting up his school so often that he was charged and convicted of making a threat of mass violence. How to punish him was not. 'There are no good options in this case,' Maryland Judge Jill Cummins said this week moments before imposing her sentence. 'I'm sitting here struggling — and I want to be quite clear, struggling — to determine what is the best outcome. And I have to figure out the best outcome for this community as well as for Mr. Ye.'
CBS News
5 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Maryland teen sentenced to one year in prison for writing about school shootings
A Maryland teenager was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison, with all but one year suspended, for threatening mass violence and writing a detailed account of a character planning a school shooting. 19-year-old Alex Ye will serve at least one year behind bars, followed by five years of supervised probation, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. The defendant was a high school student when arrested last year. A judge found the teen guilty in January on one count of threatening to commit mass violence following a two-day bench trial. Police discover 129-page document, online searches, drawings The investigation began after someone who met the teen in a psychiatric facility contacted Baltimore-area police about the writings. Ye had written a 129-page document that included an account of a character who plans a school shooting but is ultimately arrested and receives psychiatric treatment, according to police. The teen called the writings a memoir, though the document opened with a disclaimer calling it fiction. Investigators believed the document was based on the teen's life rather than being entirely fictional, according to court records. Police obtained a search warrant and uncovered internet searches, drawings and documents related to threats of mass violence. Recent searches included queries about gun ranges, prison sentences, and a long list of past school shootings, according to court documents. Social media messages and posts by the teen referenced a desire to become famous by committing a school shooting, police wrote in charging documents. Court mandates mental health treatment During the probation period, the teen must report to court every two weeks and receive mental health treatment. Ye is also prohibited from entering two school campuses and banned from using the chatting app Discord. Montgomery County Public Schools officials said the student was completing schoolwork through a virtual learning program and had not physically attended a school since fall 2022. Court records show the teen was hospitalized in December 2022 after threatening to "shoot up a school." The following month, clinicians reported the teen was talking about "suicide by cop."
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Maryland teenager to serve one year in prison after writing about school shootings
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — A Maryland teenager will serve at least a year in prison after being found guilty of threatening mass violence, including in a written account of a character who plans a school shooting. The teen was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison with all but one year suspended, along with five years of supervised probation upon release, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. During the probation period, the teen will have to come to court every two weeks, receive mental health treatment, avoid two school campuses and stay off the chatting app Discord. The 19-year-old was arrested last year after investigators reviewed writings and other material, including internet searches and messages. The defendant was a high school student at the time. The investigation began after a person contacted police in the Baltimore area, saying he met the teen in a psychiatric facility. The person alerted authorities to the teen's writings, which were labeled a fictional account by their author, according to court records. But investigators wrote that they believed the document was based on the teen's life, not entirely fictional. The writings, which the teen called a memoir, spanned 129 pages and included an account of a character who plans a school shooting but ultimately is taken into law enforcement custody and then receives psychiatric treatment, according to police. But the document opened with a disclaimer calling it a work of fiction, according to court papers. Police later obtained a search warrant and uncovered 'internet searches, drawings and documents related to threats of mass violence,' officials said. Some recent searches included queries about gun ranges, prison sentences and a long list of past school shootings, according to court documents. Social media messages and posts by the teen also reference a desire to become famous by committing a school shooting, police wrote in charging documents. Montgomery County Public Schools officials said in a statement that the student was completing schoolwork through a virtual learning program. They said the student 'has not physically attended an MCPS school since the fall of 2022.' Court records show the teen was hospitalized in December 2022 after threatening to 'shoot up a school,' and the following month clinicians reported that the teen was talking about 'suicide by cop.' A judge found the teen guilty in January on one count of threatening to commit mass violence following a two-day bench trial.
Washington Post
15-05-2025
- Washington Post
Mom charged after buying ammo for teen son obsessed with mass killings, police say
A Texas woman was charged with buying ammunition and tactical gear for her 13-year-old son, who police and school officials feared could carry out mass violence at his middle school, authorities said Thursday. The boy, who had been suspended in April for allegedly researching mass shootings at school, was also arrested and charged with terrorism, San Antonio police said.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- BBC News
Texas mother accused of helping son plan school shooting
A Texas mother has been arrested for allegedly buying ammunition and tactical gear for her son who she knew was planning "mass targeted violence" at his school, officials say Ashley Pardo, 33, was aware of her son's obsession with violence, and "intentionally and knowingly aided" his violent goals in exchange for him babysitting his younger Monday, the student showed up to Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio "wearing a mask, camouflage jacket and tactical pants but left shortly after", police said. He was later detained mother was arrested the same day after the boy's grandmother called police to say Ms Pardo had bought the gun for him. On Saturday, the boy's grandmother walked into his bedroom to find him playing with live ammunition and a hammer, according to a police also found a homemade explosive made from a firework, on which the boy had written the name of an Australian man who attacked a mosque in New Zealand in grandmother reportedly told police that Ms Pardo had taken him to a military surplus store to purchase tactical gear, including ammunition magazines, a tactical vest and a helmet. Police said that the student, who has not been named, told his grandmother on Monday that he was "going to be famous" before leaving for school. The boy showed up at school "wearing a mask, camouflage jacket and tactical pants", but left shortly after, authorities said. Investigators and school officials did not know where the student was for a period of time, the court document states."The student was detained off-campus and charged with terrorism," the school said in a note to parents. The note added that he had been investigated for "some posts the student made online".Prosecutors say that in January, school officials discovered a map he had drawn of Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School labelled "suicide route". The student then reportedly told officials that he had a "fascination with past mass shooters, including their manifestos".In April, he was suspended for using a school computer to research previous mass shooting attacks. After time attending an alternative school, he returned to his middle school on 8 May. Officials said Ms Pardo was aware of the threats made by her son."The Defendant expressed to the school her support of (her son's) violent expressions and drawings and does not feel concerned for his behavior," the court document says about Ms was charged with one count of aiding in commission of terrorism, court records show. She was released from custody on Tuesday after posting a $75,000 (£56,000) bail, and is due to return to court on 17 July. US police have been increasingly moving to hold parents accountable for their childrens' violence. Last year, the parents of a Michigan school shooter were convicted of manslaughter for purchasing a gun for their son as his mental health declined. In Georgia, the father of a 14-year-old is facing charges of murder, manslaughter and child cruelty - the most severe charges against a parent over a US school shooting.
