Teen Held in Plan to Shoot Students

A 15-year-old student at Fillmore High School remained in custody Tuesday after telling classmates he had planned to shoot some students on campus and then take his own life, authorities said.

The ninth-grader, whose name was not released because he is a minor, planned to carry out the shooting Tuesday because of the date 6/6/06, said Capt. Ron Nelson of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. In the New Testament of the Bible, 666 is the mark of the beast and is frequently linked with the apocalypse or Satan.

The teen’s alleged plan was reported to school administrators early Monday and they alerted sheriff’s deputies. The boy was arrested that afternoon, and a search of his home uncovered a pellet gun that uses carbon dioxide cartridges to fire lead projectiles, Nelson said.

“We don’t know if this was a serious plan, but that’s the way it’s being handled,” said Supt. Mario Contini of the Fillmore Unified School District. “The school and law enforcement jumped on it right away, before the rumor got out of hand or anything could happen.”

The youth had not been a discipline problem in the past, school officials said.

He is being held at Juvenile Hall on suspicion of making terrorist threats. Nelson said the county’s Probation Department, which handles youthful offenders, would determine whether the case would go to trial or be handled with probation and possible counseling.

Contini said the district would probably expel the student, who would then be barred from returning to Fillmore High before January. In the meantime, he could enroll in a county continuation program, with his return to Fillmore contingent on performance.