A senior at Radnor High School was arrested Monday after police say she wrote a detailed plan to murder her classmates and a teacher.
Investigators say the 17-year-old girl wrote in her notebook that she wanted to be the first female mass murderer, and specifically described how she would kill several students and one of her teachers at the Philadelphia-area school.
She also allegedly wrote about how much she admired Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the students behind the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
"But imagine the power," the girl allegedly wrote. "The bullets leaving the gun with a loud bang, piercing kids around me, the way they collapse, their blood splattering the floor... the screams."
Administrators at Radnor High found the girl’s notebook and reported it to police around 11:30 a.m. Monday.
“There are always warning signs,” said Radnor Township Police Superintendent Bill Colarulo during a press conference Monday afternoon. “If you want to go back and reference the Columbine incident, there were numerous warning signs that went ignored, that went unnoticed and nobody took the proper action and made the report.”
The girl was arrested and will be charged as a juvenile for making terroristic threats. According to investigators, the girl has a history of mental illness. Her parents are cooperating with police. No weapons were found at Radnor High or the teen’s home.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
“As soon as it was recognized that these writings were bizarre and dangerous the appropriate steps were taken,” Colarulo said. “That’s what we hope people will do from now on.”
Debbie Singer, a parent of a junior at Radnor High, told NBC10 her daughter and other students knew the suspect had a fascination with the Columbine massacre. The girl allegedly wrote a letter to the parents of one of the Columbine shooters and included detailed notes on how should would execute her own plan.
"It's very said and it's sad for the girl," Singer said. "The rumor was this was going to happen at the pep rally."
The student is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluation but will remain in custody.
