Warrants reveal new Cherokee HS plot details

This morning on three suspects and their alleged plan to shoot up a Cherokee County high school. This was in Canton. Arrest warrants show that they'd obtained floor plans and even chosen a date for the attack. In good days, Alex Whitler joins us with more on what we've uncovered so far. Alex, good morning. Yeah, good morning. This is definitely unsettling. Fortunately, the plot to shoot up Cherokee High School didn't turn into another tragedy like the 2024 shooting at Appalachee High, and the FBI had a lot to do with that. The agency uncovered this plot after identifying threatening social media posts and notifying school police than the school's authorities told the Canton Police Department. According to this arrest warrant that the Associated Press obtained, 17-year-old Shane Taylor, who's from Metter, Georgia, and 21-year-old Michael Terry from Chatsworth, California, had reached a deal with a former student from Canton to provide weapons. The warrants also say they had discussed buying body armor, video cameras, and combat boots. They'd also picked August 20th of next year to carry out the attack. So far, investigators have collected guns, ammunition, and electronic devices as evidence. Now, in an effort to reassure the community, Cherokee County School District Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis released a video message, and in it, she praised first responders for their life-saving actions. She also cited the district's protocols for working as they're intended. Knowing that the processes and protocols of CCSD worked and that the network of law enforcement partners is vigilant is reassuring, but it unfortunately does not entirely take away my personal emotions, and I know it won't completely eradicate yours either. But when I put my head down tonight, what I do know is that CCSD is a district of safe schools. All three suspects are charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The former student, who's still a minor so we're not identifying them, is also charged with disrupting public school operations. Now, Taylor is 17 and considered an adult under Georgia law. He has a preliminary hearing set for November 13th. Terry is the 21-year-old, and they're awaiting transfer from Georgia, from California, back here to Georgia. It's still not clear if Terry had any previous connection to our state, but investigators are still trying to figure out how the three even knew each other. And we will certainly keep you posted on it all.