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Authorities discovered a hand-drawn map and a plot that outlined the students’ plan to bring weapons to the school and shoot students and staff.
The students were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
Two sixth graders were arrested on Friday and charged in a plot to carry out a shooting at a Tennessee elementary school.
The students allegedly planned to bring weapons to South Cumberland Elementary School in Crossville, Tenn., and shoot students and faculty, reports CNN.
An SRO was told about a “hit list” made by the students that contained specific names of who would be shot in a future shooting, an official release said. Authorities confirmed the list was never found but officers did find a hand-drawn map of the school and a plot of the attack.
Authorities could see from the plan that the students were going to bring weapons to school, hide them in the locker room and shoot faculty and students on the last day of school. After they were done they planned to commit suicide before law enforcement could intervene.
Precautionary action was quickly taken after hearing of the rumor to ensure school safety and authorities determined that students and staff were not in immediate danger. No other students are believed to have been involved in the plot.
“We take any threat to students and school faculty very seriously and we will respond, investigate and take swift appropriate action to manage each threat,” Cumberland County Sheriff Casey Cox said in a statement.
The investigation also revealed, “multiple conversations,” between the accused students over the past few weeks in which they discussed the shooting.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office did not find any weapons at the students’ homes. They said both students and their parents have been cooperative throughout the investigation.
WVLT reports that Cumberland County parents are not happy with how the situation was handled, saying they didn’t hear about the plot directly from the school.
“If you’re a dollar late on your lunch money, they send a text, ‘your child is behind on lunch,’ but they can’t send an alert saying this is what’s going on and your kids are safe,” Kimberly Derossett said.
Others are thankful for the SRO and the role he played in preventing a possible shooting.
“He could have just brushed it off as these kids were playing but he didn’t do that,” said Robert Lawrence.
The accused students were arrested and transported to the Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Facility and have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. They will remain in custody until they appear in juvenile court and prosecutors said they will be charged as juveniles.
About the Author
Katie Malafronte, Web Editor
Katie Malafronte is Campus Safety's Web Editor. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2017 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Writing & Rhetoric. Katie has been CS's Web Editor since 2018.
