Police in Pennsylvania have arrested a 20-year-old man accused of plotting a mass shooting at a high school later this month, one day after the anniversary of the Columbine massacre.
Braeden Phillips is accused of conspiring with another individual “to commit murder(s) by planning a coordinated school shooting on April 21, 2025, at the State College High School,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by CNN.
Police say the suspect, a former State College resident, also planned to place bombs inside the school’s bathrooms and that he and another individual had compiled a “hit list” of people to target. The attack was planned for 8:40 a.m., a high traffic time at the school, according to the complaint.
Staff at a youth community center in State College called police after learning of the threat from one of the center’s residents, according to a probable cause affidavit. That initial report led to interviews with others who told police the suspect had discussed the planned attack with them, the affidavit says.
The suspect first intended to carry out the attack on April 20, the 26th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, but witnesses indicated the date was moved because the anniversary fell on a Sunday, according to the affidavit. The 1999 Columbine massacre left 12 students and one teacher dead in one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history.
Phillips is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, police said in a statement Saturday. Individuals must be 21 to possess handguns in Pennsylvania, and police say the 20-year-old was seen with a black, Glock-style pistol on multiple occasions.
CNN is working to identify an attorney for Phillips. He is being held in Centre County Prison awaiting his preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for April 16. He was denied bail after being deemed an “extreme danger to the community,” according to Pennsylvania court records.
The high school will hold classes as usual Monday, State College Area Superintendent Curtis Johnson said, noting that “police have nothing to indicate that there is an active threat against the school.”
State College Police declined to comment to CNN about other individuals’ possible involvement in the threat, citing the ongoing investigation.
State College Police said the Pennsylvania State Police and US Department of Homeland Security have assisted with the investigation.
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