According to the police officials, the 19-year-old student was arrested and taken into custody on Thursday. Authorities said he was allegedly planning a mass shooting at his school, but his plan foiled after his classmates reported his disturbing messages they came across on social media. In the messages, the 19-year-old suspect reportedly laid out his plans to smuggle a folding gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition to the university in his backpack. He also said that he planned to practice at nearby gun range before going to the school and carry out his plan.
The 19-year-old student from Florida, John Hagins, was arrested at his apartment near the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus. Officials said he reportedly planned to carry out the mass shooting later that day on what was the final day of classes before winter break according to a Facebook media release from the police department.
Investigators were able to ruin his plan after classmates alerted campus security to threatening messages he’d posted on a Snapchat group message boasting of the imminent shooting.
In the messages, the 19-year-old suspect reportedly laid out his plans to smuggle a folding gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition to the university in his backpack. He also said that he planned to practice at nearby gun range before going to the school and carry out his plan.
The responding officers found the gun and ammunition in his apartment when he was arrested. Investigators said the suspect reportedly sold his vehicle to buy the gun and ammunition.
“Today is the last day before winter break. Today is the last day. Today is finals. Final exams. So, this was all part of the plan because today the campus (would) be packed because everybody has to be there to take their final exam, so this was all in his plan.
He may want to claim that it was all a joke and he wasn’t serious about it. But we don’t find anything funny about discussing a mass shooting on a campus. If he was looking for attention, he’s got it.
He said once he was done at that firing range, he was going to campus to enact a Columbine.” Police Chief Young said.
Officials said that the 19-year-old student was in danger of failing classes and had been on academic probation and had received a traffic violation on campus on Wednesday. The 19-year-old is charged with written threats to injure or kill, terrorism and attempted first-degree homicide and is being held without bond.
This incident remains under investigation. This is a developing story and it will be updated as new information become available.