Police say a Wootton High School student was arrested and charged for allegedly planning a school shooting. On Friday, County Police Chief Marcus Jones said 18-year-old Alex Ye wrote about targeting his former elementary school — Lakewood Elementary — and strategized how to access classrooms at Wootton.
Ye was ordered to be held without bond Friday afternoon, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He wrote a 129-page manifesto, according to police. As a result of the investigation, police coordinated with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to increase security at schools, particularly at Wootton.
Ye has been taking online classes and accessing school staff remotely and has not been physically present at school since fall 2022, according to MCPS. On March 6, Ye was taken to a hospital on the strength of an emergency evaluation petition. Jones said FBI agents went to interview Wootton staff on March 15, and a school counselor said Ye made statements about committing a school shooting every time they spoke, and he was fixated on it. Ye has been charged with threats of mass violence.
