Two sixth-grade students were arrested and charged after an employee at their Tennessee elementary school discovered their plot to shoot both faculty and students and then commit suicide on the last day of classes, officials said.
The investigation into the alleged mass-shooting plan began after the school resource officer at South Cumberland Elementary School heard about a rumor involving a possible "hit list" that contained the names of students to be shot, according to a joint news release from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, the Cumberland County School District and the Crossville Police Department on Tuesday.
Though a hit list did not turn up, officials said they did find a hand-drawn map of the Crossville school and a written plot between the two students to bring weapons in the school and hide them in the locker room before entering through a back door and shooting those inside.
The students, who were not identified, allegedly planned to commit suicide before law enforcement could intervene.
The investigation also revealed that the two minors had multiple conversations about the alleged plot and had been preparing for two weeks.
Investigators said during a search of the students' home they found no weapons, but still did not take the threat lightly.
"We take any threat to students and school faculty very seriously and we will respond, investigate and take swift appropriate action to manage each threat," Sheriff Casey Cox said in a statement.
The students were both charged on April 26 with conspiracy to commit murder and are awaiting a hearing in the Cumberland County Juvenile Court.
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