Teens Attempted School Attacks Fail Because Someone Came Forward
Two 17-year-olds suspected of plotting a shooting spree at their high school were fascinated with the mass killings at Columbine High School and both had weapons at their homes, investigators said Friday.
William C. Cornell and Shawn R. Sturtz were arrested at East High School after a student went to an associate principal.
If someone hadn't come forward, there would be funerals instead of charges according to yesterdays attorney attorney who spoke at a news conference.
The two were arrested for suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree intentional homicide and conspiracy to commit arson.
Brown County Court Commissioner Jane Sequin ordered each teen jailed on $500,000 bond Friday. Green Bay police Detective Tom Molitor testified that both teens, who are seniors, told police that they had been plotting the massacre for several years.
They planned to set off bombs near the bathroom areas, light the exits on fire with jelled gasoline so no one could escape and shoot the people they had problems with, Molitor said.
Capt. Lisa Sterr said the two frequently talked about plans to attack the school and have police shoot them.
Sterr said police found nine rifles and shotguns, one handgun, about 20 "crudely made" explosive devices, camouflage clothing, gas masks, two-way radios, numerous pellet guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at Cornell's house.
Sterr said the bombs they found were made of things like toilet paper rolls, gun powder, BBs and duct tape, and apparently were to be detonated by firecrackers.
Also found at Cornell's home were six one-quart jars filled with jelled gasoline, Sterr said.
Cornell made several of the improvised explosives about two months ago and stored them at his home, Sterr said.
Some of the guns at Cornell's home were "from a collection of a family member," Sterr said.
One gun was a semi-automatic weapon, Molitor said.
At Sturtz's home, police found knives and ammunition, but no dangerous materials were found at school, Sterr said.
Police said they also found mannequin heads that appeared to have been used for target practice, and suicide notes.
Sturtz was described as being obsessed with pain and death, Sterr said. The two had been depressed over the last couple of years and hated school, Sterr said.
She said both had long been fascinated with the incident at Littleton, Colo., in April 1999, when two students at Columbine High School armed with guns, knives and bombs killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves.
Sturtz had a relationship over the Internet with a girl that ended, Sterr said.
"Sturtz was very upset about this and became extremely enraged and (Wednesday) talked of soon attacking the school like Columbine," Sterr said.
Molitor said at the hearing that Sturtz wanted to enact the plan on Thursday but Cornell talked him out of it.
School Superintendent Dan Nerad said the student that alerted school officials was "shook up" but he declined to provide any other details.
Molitor said the two just needed a triggering event to pull off their plan.
"They were one bad day away from something happening. It could have happened yesterday," he said.
Asked whether the two were cooperating with investigators, Molitor declined to comment other than to say they had gathered details from credible sources.
"I believe there probably were other people who knew about it," Molitor said.
Zakowski said the focus of the investigation Friday was the teens, not their parents.
"You can't charge someone for being ignorant," Zakowski said.
Mayor Jim Schmitt said the student who came forward about the plan was a hero.
Jason Burdick, 18, said he considered both teens friends. He described Sturtz as a "teddy bear" and a shy, quiet kid.
"He was nice to get along with. No fights or whatever," he said. "But he, like, turned."
He said Sturtz started watching documentaries and other programs about Columbine.
"I think that is what kind of turned him. I didn't think anything of it. He just kind of joked around with it. You know, just talking."
Burdick said he played war games once with Sturtz with BB guns.
"I went over there one night and we had like little battles," he said. "It was just like a fun little sport."
He said people sometimes made fun of Sturtz for having a chin beard, teasing him that it looked like a helmet strap.
Felicia LaPere, 17, said Sturtz had a darker side and was into Goth culture.
"But there was nothing suspicious about him that you would think he would try to do something like this," she said.
She said she was shocked that Cornell would be involved in such a horrendous plot.
"He seemed very in control about what he was doing and who he was," she said.
Photos: Green Bay police say two 17-year-olds planned a "Columbine"-style attack on their high school. (booking photos)
Police removed bombs and weapons from the homes of two boys on Friday. Invesitgators say they planned to use them in an attack at their Green Bay school according to an ABC news report.
