As the nation continues to reel and mourn from the Ethan Crumbley Oxford High School shooting, a new report now indicates that students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida just narrowly missed a similar tragedy, thanks to two brave, concerned students and school officials who actually listened.
According to a new report from Yahoo! News, students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University were spared from what could have been a fatal catastrophe, after two students reported 19-year old John Hagins over Snapchat messages that tipped them off to a potential school shooting.
Just two weeks after the tragic Oxford High shooting, that claimed the lives of 4 students and injured an additional 7, Daytona police arrested Hagins for allegedly planning a shooting on the university’s campus.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young says law enforcement officials were alerted of the potential threat by campus security, following a report from two students who said they were “very concerned” by Hagins’ Snapchat messages that referenced the tragic 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado.
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Upon detaining the suspect, police reportedly discovered a backpack in his apartment full of several boxes of ammunition as well as a collapsible rifle. They later also discovered several social media messages sent by Hagins, in which he outlined his plan to use the gun and ammunition to shoot up his university’s campus. It was also indicated that the suspect had recently sold his car to acquire the funds needed to purchase the weapon.
“We could have had a tragedy unfold today,” Young said in a statement to the press. “Instead, these students reported it to the school and that allowed us to get to work right away and bring Hagins into custody before he could carry out his plans. We thank them all for seeing something and saying something.”
Officials say they have not yet identified a motive, but do note that Hagins was performing poorly in his classes and had been involved in a traffic violation just a day before his arrest.
“The point I want to drive home is the importance of, if you see something, you say something. This is the way we combat what’s going on in this country right now,” Young said in his statement. “The credit truly goes to those two students who stepped up, came forward, and brought this to our attention.”
The actions of school officials with regard to this potential shooting come in stark contrast to that of school officials in Oxford High School, who are currently the subject of a massive investigation and lawsuit for their lack of response to clear indicators that Ethan Crumbley would soon turn violent.
Featured image via screen capture
