A juvenile is under investigation after prosecutors said images on social media link him to multiple semi-automatic firearms seized from his home.
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Pierce County sheriff’s deputies and SWAT officers seized dozens of weapons from a 13-year-old boy’s home, along with evidence they say indicates he was preparing for an attack.
“It was just a matter of time before something really bad happened,” Deputy Carly Cappetto said.
On Friday afternoon, multiple people submitted tips to the sheriff’s office, leading investigators to the teen’s social media accounts. Detectives allege he posted photos of himself posing with firearms. The images — some dated between June and August of this year — appear to have been taken inside his parents’ bedroom, the same location where officers later recovered the weapons.
In one photo, the barrel of a semi-automatic rifle is visible protruding from the top of what appears to be a mandolin case worn like a backpack, according to court documents. The caption read, “U’d never expect it.”
That post led to a search warrant and the seizure of dozens of guns, many of which lacked serial numbers — indicating they were illegal, Cappetto said.
“A variety of the firearms were unsecured throughout the home, mounted on the walls or just lying around. A large quantity of them were secured in a safe,” she said.
During the search, investigators say they found writings on the walls, photos, and clothing that appeared to show the teen had ideations of carrying out a mass shooting.
They also found a bag that they believe indicates the teen was prepared to launch an attack. The sheriff’s office declined to say what was inside.
“There’s the belief that he was obsessed, and he was pretty much imitating and doing exactly what he had studied and learned from these other mass shooter incidents,” Cappetto said.
The teen is now facing three charges: attempted threat to bomb or injure a school, unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree, and unlawful possession of fireworks.
As of Monday, his parents are not facing any charges, but Cappetto said that could change as the investigation continues.
“This is going to be a very interesting case to follow because, for the first time, we don’t have a victim, right? We don’t have an act of violence that was actually carried out, because we stopped it,” she said.
A judge has ordered the teen held in secured detention. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Sept. 17, and a detention review is set for Sept. 22.