Suspects in alleged school shooting plot in Georgia had floor plan, had
chosen a date, warrants say
[October 29, 2026]
By KATE BRUMBACK
ATLANTA (AP) — Three people arrested over an alleged plot to carry out a
shooting at a Georgia high school had gotten a floor plan of the school
and chosen a date to carry it out early next school year, according to
arrest warrants.
Shane Keith Taylor, 17, and Michael Brandon Terry, 21, had reached an
agreement with an unidentified juvenile suspect to provide weapons and
had planned outfits and discussed buying body armor, video cameras and
combat boots, according to arrest warrants. They chose next Aug. 20 as
the date, just a couple of weeks after the first day of school on Aug.
2.
The suspects are accused of planning a shooting at Cherokee High School
in Canton, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Atlanta, and are
charged with conspiracy to commit murder, police said. The juvenile is
also accused of disrupting or interfering with the operation of public
schools.
A lawyer for Taylor, who is considered an adult under Georgia criminal
law, said he had just gotten the case and did not have a comment. Online
records show that he was being held without bond and has a preliminary
hearing set for Nov. 13.
It was not immediately clear whether Terry, who was awaiting transfer
from California to Cherokee County, had a lawyer, and The Associated
Press could not immediately locate contact information for him. Police
did not release the name and age of the juvenile suspect.
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The FBI identified “threatening social media posts” and notified
school police, who then contacted the Canton Police Department.
Police figured out the identity of the juvenile suspect, who they
said lives in Canton and was connected to the threats. He was
arrested Oct. 20. Taylor, who lives in Metter, Georgia, 240 miles
(386 kilometers) southeast of Canton, and Terry, who lives in
Chatsworth, California, were arrested on Oct. 23. It's not clear
what connection, if any, Terry has to Georgia, or how the suspects
might have known one another.
Investigators collected guns, ammunition and electronic devices as
evidence, police said. No ongoing threat to the high school or any
other school in the county was identified, and the investigation
remained active, police said.
Cherokee County School District Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis
sought in a video message posted online Tuesday to reassure parents.
“The mere thought of a school threat, let alone hearing of an
alleged conspiracy to carry one out, is honestly devastating, and,
like you, I have experienced the range of emotions that follow this
type of news,” she said. But she added that law enforcement agencies
working together had “completely disrupted” the alleged plot and
said knowing that the processes in place worked the way they were
supposed to was “reassuring.”
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