Mich. Cops Bust 3 in Alleged School Shooting Plot

Police in Michigan say posts on Instagram led them to a plot to carry out a shooting rampage at a high school and middle school. Ryan Stevens, an 18-year-old former student at Linden High School and Linden Middle School in Argentine Township, around 50 miles northwest of Detroit, is the oldest of three teenagers arrested in connection with the alleged plot, reports WXYZ. Lamar Dukes and Cody Brewer, both 15, have also been arrested and will face charges that include conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, NBC News reports. All three have been charged as adults and could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"Sadly, these things happen a lot across the country and you have to take them seriously," Argentine Township Police Chief Daniel Allen tells USA Today. "I took it seriously. The FBI took it seriously. Obviously, by the charges, the prosecutor took it seriously." He says the arrests were made more than a week ago, but they were kept quiet until now because investigators wanted to make sure that everybody involved in the plot was in custody. Police, who have not disclosed a motive but say one is becoming clear, say the teens already had access to firearms and planned to buy more, WXYZ reports. (Two high school students in Connecticut were arrested for dressing up as school shooters for Halloween.)