Police in Minnesota charged a teenager with several counts of attempted murder on Thursday after they learned he plotted to kill his parents and blow up his school.
John David LaDue, 17, planned to murder his family, start a fire, set off bombs at local schools and then shoot the students, authorities in Waseca said according to CNN. Authorities were alerted to the intended massacre thanks to a local resident who noticed LaDue's suspicious behavior.
"This case is a classic example of citizens doing the right thing and calling the police when things seem out of place," the Waseca Police Department said in a statement obtained by CNN. "By doing the right thing, unimaginable tragedy has been prevented."
Resident Chelsie Shellhas called the police on Tuesday after she noticed a suspicious person at a storage facility.
"He shut the door, and I thought it looked funny," Shellhas told CNN affiliate WCCO. "Because, normally, we see people come here, and it doesn't take them 10 minutes to open a storage shed, so that's why I called it in."
Police found the makings of a fiery massacre inside the storage unit, including gunpowder, pyrotechnic chemicals and steel ball bearings, CNN reported. More ammunition was found in the teen's bedroom.
"My personal feeling is that I'm very disturbed by the amount of items that he had of that nature," Captain Kris Markeson told WCCO.
LaDue was charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of criminal damage to property and six counts of possessing explosive or incendiary devices, the Associated Press reported.
Police say the teenager admitted to planning the murders of his mother, father and sister. He then intended to start a fire as a distraction while he went to Waseca Junior and Senior High School to detonate several bombs, CNN reported. The attack, ending with LaDue killing the students, was meant to be carried out within the next two weeks.
According to LaDue's Facebook page, he is fond of assault rifles and likes gory movies. The teenager was also fascinated by mass shootings at schools, in particular the one at Columbine High School in 1999, CNN reported.
Police believe LaDue planned to carry out the attack alone. He is being held at a juvenile detention center and is scheduled to appear in court on May 12, the AP reported.
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