Three arrested in alleged Cherokee High School shooting plot in Canton, Georgia; one suspect arrested in California
Police in Canton, Cherokee County, Georgia, announced on October 27 that they had broken up an alleged plot to carry out a shooting at Cherokee High School, arresting three suspects — two of them juveniles — including a 21-year-old man arrested in Chatsworth, California. The FBI had discovered threatening posts online and alerted the school district; firearms and ammunition were seized, and police said there is no known ongoing threat to the school.
According to the Associated Press, the FBI found threatening social media posts by one of the suspects and worked with local police on the investigation. Cherokee County School District police contacted the Canton Police Department on October 19, and detectives identified a juvenile living in Canton — a former Cherokee High School student, according to Cherokee County School Superintendent Dr. Mary Elizabeth Davis. The juvenile was arrested on October 20 on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and disruption or interference with the operation of public schools; the name is being withheld because of age.
The investigation then expanded across state lines. A Cherokee County magistrate issued arrest warrants for two more suspects on October 22. On October 23, Canton detectives, assisted by the FBI, the Candler County Sheriff's Office, the Georgia State Patrol, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, arrested a 17-year-old in Metter on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder; he was booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center. The same day, the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Michael Brandon Terry, 21, in Chatsworth, California. Terry, also charged with conspiracy to commit murder, remains in California awaiting extradition to Georgia.
Police said firearms, ammunition and electronic devices were collected as evidence during the investigation and related searches. Officials have not released details of what exactly the suspects were planning, how they knew each other, or what roles each allegedly played, citing the active investigation. Canton Police Chief Marty Ferrell said the safety of students and school staff is a top priority and thanked law enforcement partners for their quick action.
The Cherokee County School District said it briefed faculty and staff at the high school and a neighboring middle school, increased police presence on the Cherokee High School campus, arranged additional counselors for students and staff, and notified families and employees. The Cherokee County District Attorney's Office, led by District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway, cooperated in the case.
The alleged plot was announced less than two weeks after a 16-year-old boy killed three children and a teacher in a shooting at an elementary school in central Oregon.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 佐治亚州 Canton 的 Cherokee High School 校舍（资料图）。Thomson200 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Cherokee High School in Canton, Georgia (file photo). Photo by Thomson200, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
