Oxford High School was ‘targeted by wannabe teen bomber found with napalm and 16 explosives’ 15 years before shooting
THE high school where a gunman opened fire on Tuesday killing four classmates had previously been targeted by wannabe teen bomber, according to reports.
Joel Thomas was said to have been questioned by cops in 2006 after a search of his home allegedly found 16 explosives, plans of the school, and a "napalm substance".
Officers had interviewed Thomas - who was aged 16 at the time - in connection with a fire on school district property, reports.
The Oxford Leader reported at the time how he was then charged with three felony counts including possession of a Molotov cocktail.
Thomas was then sentenced to a year in a juvenile detention facility, according to local outlets.
Three teens - named Tate Myre, 16, Hana St. Juliana, 14, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17 - were gunned down at the school on Tuesday.
A fourth died in hospital on Wednesday.
The suspected shooter, who has not been named, had posted a picture of a gun online before the deadly rampage, according to police.
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Officers were later seen removing armfuls of weapons from the suspect's home after it emerged he allegedly used his dad's gun in the massacre.
The suspect’s father had bought the 9 mm Sig Sauer used in the shooting on Friday, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
Bouchard said the suspect had practiced shooting with the gun and “posted pictures of a target and the weapon.”
He added: “It’s my understanding that this was a recent weapon purchased, that he had been shooting with it and had posted pictures of a target and the weapon.”
BIZARRE VANDALISM
Weeks before the shooting the school was covered in red paint with a deer's head dumped on the grounds.
School administrators had posted two letters to parents on the school’s website in November, saying they were responding to rumors of a threat against the school following a bizarre vandalism incident.
Both the sheriff and undersheriff emphasized that Tuesday’s shooting was unrelated to the deer head or any earlier investigation by their office.
“That was a different incident, different student,” Undersheriff Mike McCabe said.
But according to a November 4 letter written by Principal Steve Wolf, someone threw a deer head into a courtyard from the school’s roof.
They also painted several windows on the roof with red acrylic paint and used the same paint on the concrete near the school building during the early morning hours.
Without specifically referencing that incident, a second post on November 12 assured: “there has been no threat to our building nor our students.”
But one concerned parent, Robin Redding, said her son, Treshan Bryant, is a 12th grader at the school but stayed home Tuesday.
Redding said her son had heard threats that there could be a shooting.
“This couldn’t be just random,” she said.
SUSPECT HELD
The suspected shooter, 15, is being held in a juvenile detention facility where he has been placed in a special cell, said Oakland County Executive David Coulter.
He was not injured during the shooting and his name cannot be identified as he is a juvenile.
He has been placed on suicide watch and has someone checking on him every 15 minutes.
While the preliminary charges will be for homicide and attempted homicide, Bouchard said the prosecutor will decide whether or not the suspect is tried as an adult.
Online tributes have been paid to the victims.
Commenting underneath a picture of Tate, one person wrote: "Captain, he was a true captain, friend, and teammate. Our hearts are aching for his family. Please pray for his family and everyone affected by today's tragic events."
Another said: "My son was with Tate at Toledo on Saturday. Tate was a great young man from a great family."
A third penned: "We are shocked, devastated, and heartbroken....such a senseless tragedy. Please pray for the families of these beautiful young people, they hugged their sweet children goodbye this morning, not knowing it would be the last time."
More than 25,000 people have signed a petition calling for the school's football stadium to be named after Tate.
He had recently won an award from the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.
'TRUE CAPTAIN AND FRIEND'
Madisyn was expected to graduate this year and her family said that she had been accepted into several colleges, according to
She also loved to draw, read and write and was the eldest of three siblings.
Bouchard branded the shooting "the worst kind of tragedy" during a press conference on Tuesday night.
He said: “None of that came to us prior to today…that’s the kind of thing we need to get and be looped into.";
The shooter put his hands up when officers came down the hall and saw him. His weapon was seized and he was taken into custody, according to the cop.
CHILLING FOOTAGE
Police hope to get more footage from the school as the investigation continues.
“The person who’s got the most insight into motive is not talking," Bouchard said.
A potential motive, the timeline of events, and the relationships of the victims to the shooter are hoped to be determined via "thousands of interviews" cops are expected to conduct.
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Bouchard said: "This touches us all personally and deeply, and will for a long time. This wound will never go away."
"We will leave no stone unturned in the investigation and find out what lead up to it.”
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