Kentucky Man Sentenced to 10 Years for School Shooting Plans

Dylan Lee Jarrell was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for planning a shooting at his former high school.

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • July 09, 2020

A Kentucky man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for planning a shooting at his former high school, reports NBC News.

Twenty-two-year-old Dylan Lee Jarrell was arrested in October 2018 after a New Jersey woman alerted authorities to a series of “racially motivated harassing messages” he sent on Facebook. Federal and state law enforcement searched Jarrell’s cell phone and things and found an AR-15 rifle, more than 200 rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, high-capacity magazines and a detailed plan to attack Shelby County High School, according to Kentucky State Police.

A few months earlier in May 2018, Jarrell anonymously posted statements like “RIP Dylan and Eric” and “Im about to do it better than Cho” on Reddit, reports NBC News. The comments are in reference to Columbine and Virginia Tech mass school shooting gunmen.  

When questioned by the FBI about the posts, Jarrell lied about his internet activity. In August 2018, he purchased the AR-15 rifle, bump stock, and ammunition. He later made threats on social media to two individuals.

“After Jarrell lied to federal agents and continued making threats online to both individuals and a school, FBI and KSP investigators successfully intercepted him before a potential mass casualty took place,” Special Agent Robert Brown said in a press release.

Jarrell was taken into custody and admitted to planning a school shooting. He pleaded guilty in November to transmission of a threatening communication in interstate commerce; cyberstalking; false statements to the FBI; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. She can be reached at [email protected]

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