Columbine Copycats Plot On MySpace
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
RIVERTON, Kan. – Five teenage boys accused of plotting a shooting rampage at their high school on the anniversary of the Columbine massacre were arrested yesterday after details of the alleged scheme appeared on the Web site MySpace.com.
Sheriff’s deputies found guns, ammunition, knives, and coded messages in the bedroom of one suspect, Sheriff Steve Norman said. Authorities also found documents about firearms in two suspects’ school lockers.
“What the resounding theme is: They were actually going to do this,” Sheriff Norman said.
Sheriff Norman said he would ask prosecutors to bring charges of conspiracy to commit murder against the teens.
Deputies’ interviews with the suspects indicated they planned to wear black trench coats and disable the school’s camera system before starting the attack between noon and 1 p.m. yesterday, Sheriff Norman said.
Officials at Riverton High School began investigating on Tuesday after learning that a threatening message had been posted on MySpace.com, he said.
The message discussed the significance of April 20, which is Adolf Hitler’s birthday and the anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School attack in Colorado.
