Montgomery County leaders give update after student arrested in school shooting threat
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A day after officers arrested a Wootton High School student who is accused of making threats of mass violence, the Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD) held a news conference.
MCPD arrested 18-year-old Alex Ye on Thursday after executing a search warrant on a 129-page “manifesto.” Police said that Ye talked about how to commit a school shooting in this document.
“Mr. Ye had made significant statements in regards to committing an act of violence of shooting up not only his high school Wootton High School, but also shooting up an elementary school,” MCPD Chief Marcus Jones Jones said at Friday’s update.
In an update after Friday’s conference, MCPD said that Ye’s father did not own a gun and that Ye did not have access to a firearm.
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Ye had claimed in a disclaimer at the top of the document that the work was a piece of fiction. It described a character, James Wang, who indicated that a school shooting would take place “the next day.”
“Officers were able to read Ye’s manifesto, which Ye alleges is fiction. In the document, Ye writes about targeting his former elementary school because ‘Little kids make easier targets.’ He strategized on how to access the easiest classrooms in his high school, and how he would be able to sneak a gun into the school,” Jones said.
MCPD said that someone who knew Ye had reported the document to police after Ye had shared it with them on March 3. Ye revoked access from that person after police stopped by his home.
Police also gave a timeline of what led to Ye’s arrest.
March 3: Ye shares his document with his acquaintance, who reports it to police. Baltimore police reached out to Rockville police to conduct a wellness check. Police spoke with Ye’s father, who denied them entry.
March 4: Rockville police notified MCPD about the report. Montgomery County’s Crisis Intervention Team started to investigate.
March 6: Ye was taken to the hospital to be evaluated on a petition.
March 13: The hospital’s staff notified MCPD and Baltimore’s FBI field office, stating that they were concerned Ye posed a real threat.
March 15: FBI agents spoke with staff at Wootton High School. The school’s counselor told them that Ye had been “preoccupied” with school shootings, explosives and self-harm during sessions the two had.
March 19: Police visited Ye again at the hospital but he declined to be interviewed. Hospital staff said that Ye would regularly search for information about school shootings.
March 21: MCPD officers searched Ye’s house and seized a phone, laptop and iPad. Messages on the platform Discord showed conversations about school shootings, and police found more photos, games and information related to shootings on the rest of Ye’s devices.
MCPD said that as a result of this information, police spoke with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) about increasing security.
April 16: Police obtained an arrest warrant.
April 17: Police took Ye into custody.
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The document outlined thoughts about committing a mass shooting at a Rockville high school as well as at an elementary school.
Ye was denied bond in court on Friday. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for his charges related to making threats of mass violence. His court hearing is scheduled for June 3.
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