2 Florida students plotted Columbine-style school attack, deputies say

Two teens were arrested Thursday after being accused of planning a Columbine-style attack at their central Florida middle school, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident started on Tuesday when a school resource officer at the Villages Charter Middle School heard rumors going around about a student planning a mass shooting for Friday, deputies said.

One student, a 13-year-old boy, was questioned as he arrived at school Wednesday and told deputies he and another student had been talking about a plot, which “referenced the mass shooting at Columbine High School,” according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

The other student, a 14-year-old boy, was also questioned. Deputies said he also mentioned the 1999 shooting at Columbine, which left 12 students and a teacher dead, along with dozens of others injured.

Deputies say they learned the pair “had planned an attack, which included what they would use as a signal to open fire.”

Neither teen had any weapons in their backpacks or lockers at the school, but guns were found at their homes when deputies arrested them Thursday.

The pair, who were not identified, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

“The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office is grateful for those students brave enough to speak out about the plot,” a statement from the agency reads. “Their heroic actions may have prevented a deadly tragedy and loss of precious lives.”

The sheriff’s office says they plan to increase patrols at the school Friday but said no additional suspects are outstanding.

Hayes writes for the Orlando Sentinel.

UPDATES:

8:15 a.m.: This article was updated with reporting from the Orlando Sentinel.

This article was originally published at 6:40 a.m.