EDITOR'S NOTE: There has been renewed interest in this 2018 story following the May 24, 2022, attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw said during a news conference on May 27, 2022, that there is no connection between the 2018 incident and the 2022 shooting. He said the Robb Elementary shooter is not the same person as the 13-year-old or 14-year-old referenced in the 2018 police report. The full story from May 3, 2018, appears below.
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Two Uvalde teens were recently arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Murder after officers said they foiled a mass-shooting plot the pair had schemed.
A press release obtained by KENS 5 thoroughly chronicles events leading up to an investigation performed by the Uvalde Police Department and the Texas Rangers.
In the press release, Uvalde Chief of Police Daniel Rodriguez said that a Morales Junior High School student,14, and a former Morales student, 13, had specifically targeted numerous students in what they described as a plan to perform a "mass casualty event against the school."
Authorities said the students were motivated in large part by the Columbine shootings:
"The investigation revealed that the students were infatuated with the Columbine High School shootings and identified themselves to the shooters. The investigation uncovered that the students even referred to themselves using the Columbine shooter's names."
Investigators also believe the students were planning to hold the attacks years from now during their senior year, on the anniversary of the Columbine shooting. However, one of the students began to convince the other that they should move the attacks up to this year.
"One of the students had numerous writings and drawings which depicted weapons capable of causing mass destruction. He wrote about being "God-like" and killing police and other persons. He had an academic analysis of one of the Columbine shooter's journals," the release stated.
According to the release, the teens were also planning on detonating IED's before killing students from a list 'ranked by priority.'
After that, the release states the pair were going to kill at random before eventually turning the guns on themselves.
“Any kids that had talked bad about them or said anything they did not like, basically, they said they were going to go and kill them,” one student said. You just felt unsafe. And teachers have been bringing it to our attention that you can't be saying those things anymore. We can't do that. It is wrong.”
“It was scary. We hear it everywhere else, but you don't expect for it to happen in your town,” one parent said. “I am glad they were able to control the situation before anything does happen. And that they actually did something about it. Sometimes you think they're just going to hear it, and say it won't happen and dust it under the rug, and they actually did something.”
Both students were reportedly evaluated by mental health services on April 19, when the investigation led officials to the pair. The older of the two was released on April 23 into his mother's care.
On April 25, the pair were taken into custody again, and this time arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Murder.
Uvalde CISD issued a statement on Thursday:
Our school district is committed to the safety and education of all our students and we want to clearly communicate about safety issues when they arise. One of our Morales Junior High students was experiencing a crisis. Upon rendering aid and support, the student revealed a future plan to conduct a school shooting in the year of 2022. With the type of detailed information that was revealed by the student to law enforcement and confirmed in their investigation, the student has been arrested and will not be returning to our school. Our school district has a strong partnership with our local law enforcement agencies and emergency responders. They share our commitment to student safety, and we are working closely with them to ensure all information is thoroughly evaluated and our school is as safe as possible.
We ask our parents to assist us in reminding their child/children of the importance of telling a staff member if they ever become aware of a plan to harm individuals or of a weapon at school. The STOPit app may be utilized by parents or students to inform administration of any inappropriate behavior. In this way, we are all working together to keep our schools safe.
Anne Marie Espinoza
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing