“Things were very quiet,” he said. “Yes, we had some extra police on duty. But it was business as usual.”

Aldo Filippone, the principal of the high school, is known to students as always being very visible in the building so students could see and speak to him. He was spending even greater time in the cafeterias and hallways that day, his secretary said Wednesday afternoon. He was not available for comment by press time.

The investigation

Police have been investigating the terror threat over the last few weeks. But last weekend the police learned new information confirming that the threat of attack by the unnamed 15-year-old was credible. Monroe detective Dave Conklin said the tip came from a couple of different confidential sources, who came to the station house to voice their concerns.

On Monday evening, the Monroe police, along with members of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, executed a search warrant at the boy’s residence in the Village of Monroe. Their search uncovered: five 16-ounce bottles containing gasoline concealed in the garage, items that could be used as fuses, a torch, a machete, a black trench coat, three propane tanks, and two computers and several other electronic devices.

The boy’s parents were unaware he possessed any of these items or of his intention to attack the school, police said.

After the search, police interviewed the boy and provided details about his plans.

According to the police, the boy said he had been bullied by fellow students at the high school, and that he had a lot of hatred toward a lot of the kids there, police said. The boy said he was planning an attack on Monroe-Woodbury on April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine School attack and Adolph Hitler’s birthday.

The 15-year-old told police he has been actively seeking a military assault-style weapon that could hold as many rounds as possible. He had already purchased a black trench coat to resemble that worn by the Columbine High School attackers, and that he planned to wear the day of his attack. The youth said that in the past he was told he resembled Columbine shooter Eric Harris, and was bullied by students about his resemblance to Harris, police said.

Asked if the boy could have made up the story once he got caught, Conklin said, “I don’t believe he was. The plot was in the planning stages of making it happen. There were no journals or documents that would reveal a plan or hit list. However, something could be found on the two computers the Orange County District Attorney’s Crime Unit seized along with other items including memory cards and IPods.”

After the arrest

DiLorenzo said the school district already has in place “an extensive anti-bullying program,” including a program at the middle school and high school as well as a detailed district policy.

“But,” he said, “we are always looking to do more. It’s part of our normal practice. We’re looking at a cyber-bullying policy right now.”

In its code of conduct, the district notes it “has a zero-tolerance approach to behavior that is violent, disruptive, and insubordinate, and it is committed to addressing issues regarding harassment/bullying, smoking, inappropriate communication, and student dress.”

The district superintendent alerted parents to the student’s arrest in a letter sent home to all students Tuesday afternoon.

“The student, although registered with the district, attends school at a satellite location,” DiLorenzo wrote in the brief letter. “The police believe that the threat had credibility and the investigation is ongoing.”

DiLorenzo praised students for alerting school officials when they learned of trouble.

“The willingness of students to come forward with information and the quick response of the police have averted any threat to the district,” he wrote. “As always the safety of our students and staff is of primary concern. We will continue to be diligent in our efforts to monitor the conduct of all our students.”

At this time police believe the boy was acting alone, but the investigation of what has become a national story is continuing. After discovering the boy’s identity, New York City TV news crews drove around his neighborhood Wednesday trying to interview neighbors.

On Thursday morning, Conklin cautioned the public to not get caught up in the many rumors now floating around the community and the high school.

“We want the community to come forward and we don’t want to discourage that,” said Conklin. “A lot of rumors are starting. It’s not conducive to us as a community to make up rumors or start speculation. We are following up on all our leads. We’re hearing rumors about the friends of this kid. But we still have evidence that it’s just one person at this time.”

The district is working with law enforcement officials as the investigation continues and is doing “everything possible to keep our children safe,” wrote DiLorenzo in his letter to parents. The letter was also posted on the district’s Web site.

Police ask that anyone with information that could be important to this case call the Monroe Police Department at 782-8644.

Nancy Kriz and Claudia Wysocki contributed to this report.

Shooters and cultural causes

After Monday’s terror plan arrest in Monroe, many are wondering what causes such hate attacks.

The common view tends to be that the shooter is a loner. But Robert Geffner, a neuro-psychologist and president of the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma at Alliant International University says, most loners don’t kill people, and there are people who kill other people who are not loners.

Yeshiva University’s Jonathan Fast in his book, “Ceremonial Violence: A Psychological Explanation of School Shootings,” says that being a victim of bullying or actually being a bully is a common ingredient, as is social rejection or exclusion in the form of ridicule, teasing, bullying, name calling or other social derision.

Others agree, such as Princeton’s Katherine Newman quoted by Cyrus Dehkan on www.personalitydisorders.suite101.com, who says most often shooters are people who feel out of place. According to Dehkan, the US Secret Service also agrees. Further, the shooter almost always tell others about their intentions, in order to raise their social status, and to let others understand they can somehow control the fate of others, and to get the attention that apparently is so lacking in their lives.

Fast continues by saying that a culture that only recognizes A-students or athletes doesn’t encourage the development of a healthy self-image for the average student. Among the suggestions to prevent the next tragedy, Fast recommends initiatives such as anti-bullying programs, mental health screenings and mentoring or role-modeling to help ensure that even low-status students have access to positive support systems. A conscious effort to change school cultures would also helpful.

Print this story
Email this story