Wash. Deputies Seize 23 Guns from 13-Year-Old Boy 'Obsessed with Past School Shooters'

Pierce County sheriff's deputies and SWAT units arrested a teen after authorities received tips that the suspect had "school shooter ideation" and was "making threats to kill."

By Brian Niemietz

Source New York Daily News

Sept. 10, 2025

3 min read

What to know

Pierce County sheriff's deputies and SWAT units seized 23 firearms and ammunition from a 13-year-old accused of planning a mass shooting and studying past school shooters.
Tips from social media posts led to the arrest, and deputies found loaded magazines with “school shooter writings” and unsecured weapons throughout the home.
The teen pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges and remains in custody.

Pierce County sheriff's deputies and SWAT units arrested a 13-year-old boy after authorities received tips that the suspect had 'school shooter ideation' and was 'making threats to kill.' — Pierce County, WA, sheriff's deputies and SWAT units seized 23 firearms Saturday when they arrested a 13-year-old boy who allegedly was "obsessed with past school shooters."

Police in Washington State seized 23 firearms from the home of a 13-year-old boy they’ve accused of being “obsessed with past school shooters.”

Pierce County deputies were joined by SWAT teams members to arrest the unidentified teenager on Saturday. Authorities said they’d received tips that the suspect entertained “school shooter ideation” and was “making threats to kill.”

A search warrant led law enforcement to a formidable collection of pistols and long guns, along with several boxes of ammunition. Multiple handguns were found unsecured throughout the home, and firearms mounted on the wall could be easily taken down, the sheriff’s office said.

In the suspect’s bedroom, deputies also allegedly discovered evidence that indicated the teen studied the behaviors of past school shooters, including “loaded magazines with school shooter writings on them.”

Authorities said the suspect was last enrolled in the Franklin Pierce School District in 2021, but has been unenrolled since and is not currently an active student at any school.

“It is unknown who or what the intended target was going to be, but it’s clear it was a matter of time before a tragic incident occurred,” police said.

The teen was taken into custody and booked into the Remann Hall juvenile detention center. He appeared in court on Monday where he pleaded not guilty to five counts, including four felonies.

He remains in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Sept. 22.

Carly Cappetto, public information officer for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, said the tips they received largely came from social media posts in which the suspect “boast[ed] about his access to firearms” and his intentions to “create a mass shooting incident.”

“If you could compare what we found in our evidence … to past recent major mass shootings that we’ve had in schools, every single box was checked that something bad was going to be happening,” Cappetto said.

The teen’s parents downplayed the charges against their son, telling KOMO News in Seattle that his social media threats were merely a failed attempt to look “cool” to his peers and were not going to materialize.

Detectives continue investigating the situation, including the social media posts, and plan to release more information at a later date.

As of Tuesday, it was unclear if the parents would face any charges.

Washington’s most lethal school shooting occurred in 2014 when five students were killed at Marysville Pilchuck High School, including the 15-year-old gunman. His father was convicted for illegally purchasing and owning the gun used in that massacre.

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