COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Police in Colorado Springs are not using the label "co-conspirator" to describe the person accused of exchanging messages with a 14-year-old about a school shooting at Mariemont High School.
The teen was arrested Wednesday after police say he was found to have a hit list of at least eight students and one teacher at the high school.
The teen was planning to shoot those on the list in the near future with a firearm acquired from his household, Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers said.
Powers said her office was charging the 14-year-old with conspiracy to commit aggravated murder after learning the teen coordinated with an out-of-state adult between the ages of 22 and 24.
The FBI released a statement on Friday saying that Colorado Springs, Colorado police spoke to an individual "connected to the Mariemont school threat case" but did not make any arrests. Colorado Springs police said on Monday they are not comfortable calling this person a co-conspirator as of yet, only a "person of interest."
The legal team for the 14-year-old says this all stemmed from "predatory behavior" of his alleged co-conspirator.
The teen's legal team said the two met on social media, and Powers shared text messages between the two Thursday at a press conference, including conversations about killing and raping people.
The plan was thwarted by police after they were tipped off by another student. Zach Swallen said his son, Boom, became aware of the other student’s threat to shoot students within the school and called his father to tell the story — despite having been threatened directly.
Cyber security expert Dave Hatter with Intrust IT says it was probably fairly easy for law enforcement to track down the co-conspirator.
“It appears to me realistically speaking they weren’t doing anything to cover their tracks," he said.
Powers wants the teen to be tried as an adult, meaning he could face life in prison if convicted.
"It cannot be understated that this case stems from the predatory behavior of an adult male that met this impressionable young child on social media," the teen's legal team said.
The legal team also said the teen has "significant mental health challenges" including ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). They also said he never had access to firearms.
"To try a child in this circumstance as an adult is against everyone's interest and will not further public safety," the legal team said.
The 14-year-old is set to next be in court Wednesday, Feb. 21.
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