slowpoke
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Aug 1, 2017 22:42:50 GMT
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Post by slowpoke on Feb 15, 2018 22:32:12 GMT
Police: Grandmother turned in Washington teen planning school attackBy Susan McFarland | Feb. 15, 2018 Feb. 15 (UPI) -- One day before a South Florida high school shooting left 17 dead and more than a dozen injured, police in Washington thwarted what they said could've been another massacre. The grandmother of a high school student in Everett, Wash., called police Tuesday after finding disturbing journal entries at her home, according to court records. Joshua Alexander O'Connor, 18, had purchased grenades, hid a military-style rifle in a guitar case and carried out an armed robbery to help fund his plot to kill his classmates, police said. He was arrested after an officer pulled him out of class from ACES High School and was charged with attempted murder, felony assault on an officer and robbery. Part of the teen's journal included excerpts about flipping a coin to choose if he would target Kamiak High School or his school, an alternative school he transferred to in October, according to court documents. His school won the toss. "I'm preparing myself for the school shooting," O'Connor had written in the journal. "I can't wait. My aim has gotten much more accurate ... I can't wait to walk into that class and blow all those (expletives) away." The teen also wrote that he wanted the death count to be as high as possible so that the shooting would be infamous, according to court documents. "I need to make this count," O'Connor wrote. "I've been reviewing many mass shootings/bombings (and attempted bombings) I'm learning from past shooters/bombers mistakes." O'Connor was booked into Snohomish County Jail. Police said the teen was carrying marijuana and a knife. A search at the grandmother's house found a rifle, "military styled inert grenades and other evidentiary items."
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slowpoke
Investigator
Posts: 915
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Aug 1, 2017 22:42:50 GMT
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Post by slowpoke on Feb 15, 2018 22:34:52 GMT
Bless this woman. She didn't ignore signs and turned in a family member. That has to be hard to do.
Too bad more parents and relatives don't do the same. That is part of the problem, but its easier to blame guns and their manufacturers, than take responsibility for ignoring the signs in an effort to protect their kids.
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lindyl1
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Kentucky Derby Winner 2014
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Apr 24, 2014 16:00:45 GMT
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Post by lindyl1 on Feb 16, 2018 7:16:44 GMT
^I agree. It must have been extremely difficult for this grandmother to turn in her grandson, but she absolutely did the right thing.
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DAS
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Aug 21, 2017 17:41:09 GMT
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Post by DAS on Feb 16, 2018 16:33:33 GMT
Fortunately he did commit a felony so they'll be able to keep him behind bars.
What about another kid who plans such a massacre, records those plans on his computer, but hasn't actually committed any crime? If that kid's grandma turns him in, I don't think they could do much other than lecture him. Being 18 makes him a legal adult protected by free speech.
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spice
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May 16, 2015 14:27:49 GMT
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Post by spice on Feb 16, 2018 17:09:09 GMT
Good for Granny. Everyone should be alert now to journals being kept in your home. You never know what reading them can uncover.
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lindyl1
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Kentucky Derby Winner 2014
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Apr 24, 2014 16:00:45 GMT
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Post by lindyl1 on Feb 16, 2018 19:26:08 GMT
Fortunately he did commit a felony so they'll be able to keep him behind bars. What about another kid who plans such a massacre, records those plans on his computer, but hasn't actually committed any crime? If that kid's grandma turns him in, I don't think they could do much other than lecture him. Being 18 makes him a legal adult protected by free speech. Considering what is going on in this country, we need to take a very serious look at some of our laws regarding free speech and threats of violence. |
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jonty30
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May 6, 2013 21:08:40 GMT
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Post by jonty30 on Feb 22, 2018 2:27:37 GMT
Fortunately he did commit a felony so they'll be able to keep him behind bars. What about another kid who plans such a massacre, records those plans on his computer, but hasn't actually committed any crime? If that kid's grandma turns him in, I don't think they could do much other than lecture him. Being 18 makes him a legal adult protected by free speech. Considering what is going on in this country, we need to take a very serious look at some of our laws regarding free speech and threats of violence. We need to stop medicating kids so they keep quiet in the classroom. |
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slowpoke
Investigator
Posts: 915
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Aug 1, 2017 22:42:50 GMT
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Post by slowpoke on Feb 23, 2018 1:37:15 GMT
Considering what is going on in this country, we need to take a very serious look at some of our laws regarding free speech and threats of violence. We need to stop medicating kids so they keep quiet in the classroom. The teachers don't want to have to babysit and they should not be expected to. My sister worked at a couple schools for several years and it was her job to help the teachers by watching kids with problems. My sister absolutely hated it. she said of the kids were truly problematic, but others were just spoiled brats. My sister has 4 kids. Her kids are well behaved and have done very well in school. The eldest girl went to school to be a physical therapist, but after graduating, decided to go on and become a doctor. Her eldest boy is studying and training to be an electrician. Next daughter is studying to be a social worker and the youngest is still in high school. All of her kids participated heavily in sports and were good at their sports. In fact the eldest girl had a sports scholarship for the first college she went to. Now, I have a cousin whose youngest boy is bipolar and he had anger issues. I can say from being around them a lot for several years that the parent's were afraid to punish or not fulfill his demands. I've seen the damage he left around the house, putting his fist through walls, breaking things. He had been kicked out of school and several alternative schools for fighting. One of the things his therapist wanted him to do was go for long walks every day. Tire him out. This is what I wonder about these shooters, if they had no discipline at home, no structure, no sports activities, less than stellar grades. If you don't get control of your kids when they are young, you'll have a rough time getting control when they get older. |
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jonty30
Moderator
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May 6, 2013 21:08:40 GMT
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Post by jonty30 on Feb 23, 2018 3:00:18 GMT
We need to stop medicating kids so they keep quiet in the classroom. The teachers don't want to have to babysit and they should not be expected to. My sister worked at a couple schools for several years and it was her job to help the teachers by watching kids with problems. My sister absolutely hated it. she said of the kids were truly problematic, but others were just spoiled brats. My sister has 4 kids. Her kids are well behaved and have done very well in school. The eldest girl went to school to be a physical therapist, but after graduating, decided to go on and become a doctor. Her eldest boy is studying and training to be an electrician. Next daughter is studying to be a social worker and the youngest is still in high school. All of her kids participated heavily in sports and were good at their sports. In fact the eldest girl had a sports scholarship for the first college she went to. Now, I have a cousin whose youngest boy is bipolar and he had anger issues. I can say from being around them a lot for several years that the parent's were afraid to punish or not fulfill his demands. I've seen the damage he left around the house, putting his fist through walls, breaking things. He had been kicked out of school and several alternative schools for fighting. One of the things his therapist wanted him to do was go for long walks every day. Tire him out. This is what I wonder about these shooters, if they had no discipline at home, no structure, no sports activities, less than stellar grades. If you don't get control of your kids when they are young, you'll have a rough time getting control when they get older. They are definitely young males, who are in crisis. My understanding of the overall situation is these young men have issues that is covered over by medication, but those issues remain unresolved and start to comeback when they start to come off the medixations. Now the young men are angry, have unresolved issues, and they now have their mental inhibitions destroyed by the medications. Run? |
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