A school shooting that was stopped at the last moment in the Chicago suburbs is now being treated by prosecutors as an attempted mass murder.
I wrote about this previously after it happened on May 22, when authorities in Plainfield Township responded to a call about a suicidal juvenile armed with a gun. By the time deputies arrived at the home, a family member had already tackled the 15-year-old suspect, pinned him to the ground, and called 911.
At the time, investigators said they learned the teenager was allegedly on his way to Grand Prairie Elementary School in Joliet to carry out a shooting. Deputies recovered a Glock handgun along with a backpack containing multiple loaded magazines, knives, gloves, an accelerant, and other items. The suspect is said to have made both suicidal and homicidal statements after first responders arrived.
Following the incident, the teen was placed on a psychiatric hold and taken to a hospital for evaluation while remaining under police supervision. Now that hospitalization has ended, authorities have moved forward with criminal charges.
According to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, the 15-year-old has been released from the hospital and transferred into police custody. He is now being held in juvenile detention and is facing charges that include attempted first-degree murder, attempted making of a terrorist threat, unlawful possession of a handgun, and additional weapons-related offenses.
One detail that remains unanswered is how the teenager obtained the gun in the first place. Authorities have publicly discussed the weapon, the ammunition, and the other items recovered from the backpack, but they still have not explained where the gun came from or how a 15-year-old gained access to it.
This story continues to highlight a reality that has become all too familiar in America. In too many cases, warning signs exist before a planned act of mass violence. Sometimes those warnings are recognized quickly enough for someone to intervene. Other times they are missed or ignored until it is too late.
This time a family member acted immediately. The difference between another ordinary news cycle and a national tragedy came down to a single person deciding they could not wait for someone else to step in.
(Sources)
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