St. Mary's County teens arrested for school shooting threat at Leonardtown High School

LEONARDTOWN, Md. - Two St. Mary's County high school students have been arrested for threatening to carry out a mass shooting, according to officials.

The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office said it received a tip on Friday that two teenage boys at Leonardtown High School were overheard discussing the recent Florida school shooting.

Authorities said the students, ages 16 and 15, were overheard making statements about bringing firearms to school and how they were "too smart to be caught."

Detectives said they learned one of the teens had access to numerous firearms and made concerning statements and posts on social media.

The investigation also found that someone associated with the teen had a Federal Firearms License, according to officials.

Police said semi-automatic rifles, handguns and other weapons were seized during their investigation, along with ammunition. According to investigators, the weapons were not secured from the teen's access as required by law.

"Our school resource officers are very aware of their students and their schools," St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said. "They monitor social media daily. They also get a lot of information from the students because they are keenly interested in their safety in their schools it's not just the parents. It's also the students who are keenly interested in the safety of our schools."

The sheriff also credited the students for acting so quickly, urging others to do the same.

"We're begging you to say something," Sheriff Cameron added. "Your information could make the difference it could absolutely stop a crime of mass violence at a school or any other place where people are gathered. It's critically important."

The two teens, both of Leonardtown, were arrested and charged with threat of mass violence.

Authorities said a warrant was issued for 39-year-old David William Fairfax of Leonardtown for two counts of reckless endangerment, one count of access to a firearm by a minor, and one count of illegal transfer of a firearm.