Rockville teen accused of planning school shooting denied bond in court
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A Rockville teen has been denied bond, accused of planning to carry out a school shooting.
18-year-old Andrea Ye, who authorities say went by "Alex", is facing a charge of threats of mass violence. Ye, whose pronouns were addressed in court as ‘he/him’ Friday, is accused of authoring a 129-page manifesto, which allegedly detailed plans to commit a shooting at Wooten High School and Lakewood Elementary.
In court Friday, Ye’s mental health history dominated most of the arguments between his attorneys and prosecutors, including involuntary hospital stays. Prosecutors noted Ye saw a counselor between October 2022 and February 2023. During those meetings, Ye allegedly made threats to shoot students and staff.
"The counselor said he was ‘patient’ as if he was planning," prosecutors argued Friday.
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The manifesto was shared with a fellow patient at an inpatient treatment at a psychiatric facility, who reported it to authorities in March. In the manifesto quoted in court documents, Ye wrote the high school was the "best target."
"I'm the most familiar with the layout, know where the doors with windows are, and it's the most convenient to enter. Truthfully, would rather become a serial killer than a mass shooter. Serial killers are romanticized a lot more. They get tons of love letters and Netflix documentaries about them. Mass shooters are brushed off unless they are truly unique or good-looking," court documents read. "It'd be hard to tell me apart from the hundreds of other Asian guys at my school in police lineup. My school is mostly Asian and white. It's in upper-middle-class Rockville. It's a suburban city in Maryland where almost everyone goes to college."
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A search warrant also reportedly found internet queries, drawings, and documents related to threats of mass violence.
In court Friday, Ye’s attorneys argued home detention would suffice.
Ye’s parents sought crisis centers for treatment in the past. Both work from home and could ensure Ye would not leave the house, his attorney argued.
His attorneys added, Ye had made verbal threats but had no criminal history and was not a flight risk.
Judge Patricia Mitchell said she sympathized with Ye’s family and the long-standing mental health challenges, "but there is an escalation of intensity of the planning", including potential bomb-making. The purpose of keeping Ye detained was to be proactive, not reactive, Judge Mitchell said.
"Unfortunately, I think many of us as we stand here know that many of the serial killers that have been involved in some of the school shootings have had similar mental health issues prior to them becoming involved in school shootings. That was known by the [police] chief," Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said.
Ye’s attorneys did not have a comment for reporters after the hearing Friday.
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