Pierce County 13-year-old suspected of planning mass shooting released from jail

The 13-year-old boy who was arrested in Pierce County for potentially planning a mass shooting was released from jail Tuesday into the custody of his family.

On Sept. 29, the 13-year-old’s defense requested a detention review between his hearings, which a judge granted. The teen was released on electronic home monitoring, according to KIRO 7.

The suspect was ordered to remain at home and continue contact with his probation officer. The court also urged his mother to schedule a mental health appointment for her son.

Details from the investigation

In early September, the boy was arrested for his alleged threats of a mass shooting and for posting images online holding several semi-automatic weapons, with captions praising previous mass shooters, according to court documents.

“It appeared that he was very infatuated with school shooters, and there were writings, and enough notebooks found that would indicate there was some idolization, when you’re idolizing somebody,” Carly Cappetto, the public information officer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, told KIRO Newsradio.

On Sept. 4, a bulletin from the National Sheriff’s Association was sent to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), which was titled, “High Risk Activity Brief: Teenager Likely Located in Washington Has Interest In Mass Shootings, Access to Guns.”

Some of the suspects’ statements made on social media included photos of him holding semi-automatic weapons, with captions stating, “U’d never expect it,” and one written in Latin that translated to “day of wrath,” according to KIRO 7.

Additional posts included, “when i turn 21 iam going to kill people,” “its over! my time is almost hear! f** you all!! Muahahaha I hope I kill you all,” and, “if i was brain dead and I did ‘it,’ i can confidently say Columbiner girls would find be extremely attractive due to my 20 inch forehead [sic],”  according to court documents.

Search warrant served on suspect’s home

Pierce County authorities seized dozens of firearms in connection with a 13-year-old accused of making threats.

“It appeared that there are over 40 different firearms, mainly long guns, rifles, many of them appear to be homemade, using a 3D printer type style, and a handful of handguns,” Cappetto told KIRO Newsradio. “There are also boxes and boxes of ammunition that they are also sifting through.”

PCSO deputies also discovered a “go bag” with ammunition, fireworks, smoke grenades, and bottle rockets, along with numerous firearm magazines in his bedroom, according to court documents.

“From what I’ve learned from the detectives, they went into that home, and there were just the negligence of firearms lying around the home and just hanging on the wall, completely free access to anybody to grab,” Cappetto shared.

PCSO noted that it was unclear whether the suspect was planning to target a school, the Washington State Fair, or another type of public event.

While the 13-year-old was previously released, Cappetto is unsure how charges would pan out without a victim.

“In order to press forward with charges, you know, you have to have a victim, but are we supposed to wait till somebody gets hurt in order to move forward with prosecution? Or do we do our jobs and stop a major incident from happening?” she said.

Cappetto said the only charge currently possible is unlawful possession of a firearm, but noted it’s not enough to hold someone or get them the mental health care they need.

Contributing: Julia Dallas; MyNorthwest

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