A Washington grandmother turned in her grandson after finding plans to shoot up a local school.
Florida's most recent school shooting gained national attention and was a reminder that there needs to be more vigilance on the youth. Thanks to Joshua O'Connor's grandmother, the state was able to avoid another catastrophe when she found his journal entries planning to attack ACES Alternative High School in Everett, WA.
Snohomish County noted that O'Connor was studying past mass shootings to avoid mistakes. Investigators said he wrote, "I need to get the biggest fatality number I possibly can...I need to make this count."
The decision to finally call the police came when his grandmother found a semi-automatic rifle in his guitar case. Getting a search warrant came in handy when police also found military grenades in the teen's room.
Regardless, Public Defender Rachel Forde, claimed she "doesn't believe police have sufficient evidence that O'Connor had taken a 'substantial step' toward carrying out a murder," says CNN. She went on by saying, "Owning legally obtained weapons alone is not an indication that Joshua intended to act on the things he was venting about in his diary. The weapons that Joshua allegedly possessed were not specifically designed for an unlawful use and can serve a lawful purpose."
In the meantime, Joshua's first court appearance will be on Wednesday, and his bail is set at $5 million.
