Would-Be School Shooter Was Too Drunk to Do It: Cops

A Maryland teenager who allegedly planned a Halloween school shooting got as far as bringing a gun to school in his backpack—but he was too drunk to actually carry out the violence, police say. Sash Nemphos, 16, intended to kill his parents, then go to school and kill the police officer stationed there, court documents say. Afterward, he planned to take the cop's gun and "kill as many teachers and students as he could." But when the boy arrived at the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson—apparently without having killed his parents—he felt he'd had too much whiskey to follow through with his plans, and he postponed them to Monday, police say.

But on Saturday, Nemphos was arrested in a different case, this time for alleged theft. Workers at a restaurant near the boy's home said items had been stolen from their cars; the trail allegedly led to Nemphos. Despite initially denying he'd stolen anything, he "broke down" and acknowledged responsibility, according to police. After his father raised concerns about a handgun stolen from his work, Nemphos told police about his attack plans, they say. They found a suicide note along with a handgun and homemade bombs, Reuters reports. The boy told police he'd been bullied, but he said teachers had done nothing about it, the Baltimore Sun reports. He's now been charged as an adult over possession of a destructive device and weapon possession at school, among other charges. (More Maryland stories.)