Would-be school shooter, 13, arrested with manifesto, 23 firearms, parents call it a misunderstanding

Parents claimed misunderstanding after their 13-year-old son was arrested with access to a “large quantity” of firearms amid tips he may have “idolized previous mass shooters.”

“… every single box was checked that something bad was going to happen.”

(Video Credit: KOMO News)

Early Saturday morning in Pierce County, Washington, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and SWAT executed a warrant on a home regarding a juvenile suspect. Following the young boy’s arrest, authorities indicated that at least 23 firearms, “both secured and unsecured,” had been recovered along with “clothing and writings that would support a typical mass shooting scenario.”

According to the PCSO, a number of tips had been submitted about the boy’s social media activity, which, as detailed in press release, included “school shooter ideations” and “threats to kill,” prompting a response late Friday afternoon.

Investigation at the suspect’s residence turned up “Loaded magazines with school shooter writings on them, and clothing and writings that would support a typical mass shooting scenario,” as officials avoided use of the term manifesto.

For Immediate Release: pic.twitter.com/UILN65Fvqn

— Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) September 6, 2025

Court documents suggested that the boy potentially “idolized previous mass shooters” as social media posts as far back as June were said to show a “fascination of recent school shootings/mass casualty attacks,” including 1999’s attack at Columbine High School and 2022’s attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

“If you could compare what we found in our evidence from this case and compare to past recent major mass shootings that we’ve had in schools,” expressed PCSO Deputy Carly Cappetto to KOMO, “every single box was checked that something bad was going to happen.”

Monday, the boy appeared in court where he pled not guilty to all counts, including four felonies, as his charges included attempted threat to bomb/injure a school, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of fireworks. Meanwhile, his parents, whom Cappetto indicated had not yet been charged with anything, had argued to KOMO that the situation was blown out of proportion and their son was simply trying to “be cool.”

In the backdrop of the seemingly thwarted incident, leftists had recently rallied around talking points and Marxist gender ideology after innocent children had been murdered during Mass at the Annunciation Church and Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

While Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) called for gun-grabbing, alphabet activists protested outside the church even as the alleged killer was said to have contended he’d been “brainwashed” by gender ideology.

A report from ABC News noted that some of the guns appeared to have been assembled using 3D-printed parts.

As for any direct threat to a school, it was noted that the boy had not attended any district since 2021, when he’d last been enrolled in the Franklin Pierce School District. A spokesperson told ABC News, “We were notified by local law enforcement personnel that a young person in our community was arrested for allegedly planning a school shooting … We continue to work with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office to ensure that this individual is not a threat to our schools or our community as a whole.”

A detention review hearing for the 13-year-old had been slated for Sept. 22.

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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