Transgender Teen Allegedly Plotted Mass Shootings At Two Schools

A transgender teenager from Maryland was taken into custody when it was claimed that, in a deranged attempt to gain notoriety, he had planned two school shootings.

After reportedly drafting a 129-page manuscript he referred to as a “memoir,” Alex Ye, 18, of Rockville, whose legal name is Andrea, was detained on Wednesday, April 17, and charged with threatening mass violence, according to ABC News.

The essay, according to the authorities, was about carrying out mass killings at Lakewood Elementary School and Wootton High School, which Ye had attended virtually.

According to the source, Ye reportedly informed his former school counsellor that he hoped to become “famous from this event.”

A person the student shared the book with reported it to the authorities due to “striking similarities” between it and the writer, despite the student’s claim that it was a work of fiction with a disclaimer that it doesn’t “represent the author’s beliefs.”

According to the news outlet, the witness thought Ye, who identifies as male despite being physically female, was ready to carry out the attacks soon.

“I want to shoot up a school. I’ve been preparing for months. The gun is an AR-15. This gun is going to change lives tomorrow … As I walk through the hallways, I cherry pick the classrooms that are the easiest targets,” Ye allegedly wrote, WBAL-TV reported.

“I need to figure out how to sneak the gun in. I have contemplated making bombs. The instructions to make them are surprisingly available online. I have also considered shooting up my former elementary school because little kids make easier targets,” the student allegedly continued.

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“High school’s the best target; I’m the most familiar with the layout. I pace around my room like an evil mastermind. I’ve put so much effort into this. My ultimate goal would be to set the world record for the most amount of kills in a shooting. If I have time, I’ll try to decapitate my victims with a knife to turn the injuries into deaths,” the screed allegedly says.

The witness informed authorities that the writing was about “a transgender main character” called “James Wang” who was “being bullied in school and other issues that [the witness] believed were directly from Ye’s life and not indicative of fiction,” according to court documents that ABC News reported.

Concerning social media posts and online searches by Ye, including reportedly looking for “gun range near me,” descriptions of an AR-15, and related terms, were discovered, according to the police.

“But, I do recognize that my plan is fully unethical. It’s selfish and evil,” according to the outlet.

Chat logs purportedly reveal the suspect talking to someone in September about shooting up his school.

“My homicidal ideation has been getting worse lately to the point I might act on it eventually,” Ye allegedly wrote in December.

“I’d want to kill a lot of people or it wouldn’t be worth it,” the suspect said in another message that month, according to officials.

According to ABC News, there is no claim that Ye was in possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest.

Ye and the individual who gave the manifesto to Baltimore police on March 3 were treated at a mental health hospital in Maryland, according to WJLA.

Ye allegedly threatened people, thus in December 2022 he began seeking mental health treatment, the outlet reported. When Rockville City police were called later, they checked on Ye’s wellbeing.

According to WJLA, Ye’s father told them he didn’t care about his child’s mental health since he was sure the transgender teenager would get in touch with their therapist.

The allegations were described as “extremely serious” by the Montgomery County school district.

“Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is aware of the arrest of a student from Thomas S. Wootton High School by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD). The charges are extremely serious, involving alleged threats to harm others,” it said, WBAL-TV reported.

“The student, who has not physically attended an MCPS school since the fall of 2022, has been actively participating in lessons through a virtual program called Online Pathways to Graduation,” the school system said.

“This matter is an ongoing police investigation, and because of student privacy law (FERPA), MCPS cannot share any other information. It is important to understand that student privacy regulations are not a matter of arbitrary discretion but are instead firmly established by federal law,” it added.

Ye is being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit awaiting a bond hearing; he has not yet entered a plea.

The FBI and Montgomery County police worked together on the inquiry.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli