A 14-year-old is facing charges for Attempted Murder after a concerning social media post tipped off the FBI and Kennewick police.
Authorities said the 14-year-old, who is not being named due to his age, posted a TikTok with a color-coded map of Kamiakin High School. The map included a legend with terms such as Gear Up, Potential Targets, Targets, Glass, Be Wary Of, and Exit.
The FBI learned of the post thanks to a tip from someone living in Florida who had seen it online. They began looking into where the post came from. On September 20, around 1:30 a.m. FBI agents contacted the Kennewick Police Department (KPD) about the situation.
Police processed cell phone data and eventually returned with an association to the 14-year-old freshman who lives in Benton County and attends Kamiakin High School.
Officers executed a search warrant on the teen's home and took him into custody. They found 24 guns locked inside safes, multiple documents referencing school shootings, and a color-coded map similar to the TikTok post, but with more details and annotations, such as "10:47 - 11:25 AM peak students" and "could shoot through windows," with a line pointing at the school library. They also took multiple computers, suspected drugs, and the teen's cellphone.
Police said videos and photos were recovered from the phone showing the teen handling guns inside the house. There was also a video dated September 19, showing the teen walking around Kamiakin High School, discussing the library's structure and how he could shoot through the glass windows. Search history included researching tactical gear and how bullets interact with glass.
A self-described manifesto was also recovered, in which police said the teen described how he solved the codes to access the safes. A screenshot included what officers described as the beginning of the manifesto:
"Hey, you found my manifesto I am sure you will all be laughing at me by the time you figure out who I am and why I did what I did, especially you people on WPD I wonder if you'll find my accounts haha, I'm sure my discord and other social media will be released nearly instantly after the massacre. I've sent close friends photos of me that will be considered rare or unreleased by the time my plan goes through, hell maybe I'll even record the attack and send it to a select few. I'll start with this, at the time of writing I am 14 years old ... I turn 15 soon and I'm sure I'll still be writing then I won't disclose my name on a google doc but I believe in you guys to find that information yourselves! Anyways, let's get into me as a person! And then we can talk about why I did this later (probably all you're here for)..."