Police found blueprints and evacuation plans for University of North Carolina at Charlotte buildings in the room of a student who said he “could not wait” to execute a school shooting. The student is in the hospital and police do not know when he’ll be released.
Police found blueprints of campus buildings and evacuation plans this month in the off-campus apartment of a University of North Carolina at Charlotte student who wrote about why he wanted to commit a school shooting, according to search warrants obtained by the Observer.
The student discussed an “explicit detailed plan…about killing and harming our students and staff,” a UNCC police officer wrote in one search warrant. When police searched his room, they found the university’s emergency response guide attached to his wall, opened to the page about active shooters.
UNCC police learned about potential issues with the student on March 3, when a police officer in King, northwest of Winston-Salem, called to say that the student had gone to a medical clinic in King to talk with a doctor about ongoing mental health issues.
The student told the doctor “he could not wait to buy a gun and shoot the university (UNCC) up,” adding that he was fascinated by school shootings and frequently used Reddit to learn about them, the search warrant said.
“(The student) stated he loves watching humans getting killed and has been watching YouTube videos on Columbine and other school shootings,” the search warrant said. “(He) also stated the reason most school shooters are not successful is that they fail to plan their attacks.”
The doctor in King was worried enough to contact police, and the student was voluntarily committed to a hospital. UNCC Police Chief Jeffrey Baker said Monday afternoon that the student was still in the hospital and police don’t know when he’ll be released.
Police said the student will be arrested for trespassing if he comes onto UNCC property, but according to a search warrant, he said he’ll stay in an apartment near the university.
UNCC sent an informational alert to students on March 12, saying police were investigating a student who had talked about committing gun violence on campus.
Police seized a laptop, posters, composition books and blueprints from the student’s room but did not find any weapons, according to the search warrants.
