The defense for the teen accused of planning a mass shooting at the Kelso mall said at a Friday court hearing that he was bullied at his new home in Columbia County, leading to his deteriorating mental health.
Chris Heywood from Hoffman Law, LLC in Portland blamed Oregon’s inadequate youth mental healthcare facilities, as well as a predatory online white supremacist group for his 14-year-old client’s mental state when the teen planned the attack.
The Daily News is not naming the suspect — who is charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree attempted assault — because he is a minor being tried in Columbia County Circuit Court’s juvenile division.
The FBI reports the teen shared his plan online to use an improvised bomb made of chlorine to incite chaos near the mall’s theater, then shoot patrons as they left, then commit suicide.
The FBI received a tip about the plan at Kelso’s Three Rivers Crossing on May 19, identified the suspect the next day, and arrested the teen on May 22 after receiving a federal warrant. The FBI said there was not an exact date for the attack in the plans.
Columbia County Circuit Judge Nickolas Brajcich denied Friday the defense’s request to release the teen from custody.
The teen remained silent during the hearing while appearing over video conference. His lawyer entered a plea of not guilty.
Heywood said his client, who has a history of suicidal ideations, talked online to members of 746, which the Anti-Defamation League identifies as a global online community that glorifies violence and targets vulnerable people, especially children, on social media.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office refers to 746 as a nihilistic violent extremist network involved in criminal activities around the world.
Heywood said in court the teen was talking with an undercover FBI agent online, but did not provide details of the conversation.
Prosecutors pushed on Friday for the teen to stay in juvenile detention due to his mental state.
Heywood argued he should be released because the teen is not a threat. All the firearms in his client’s home had been seized, including two in a safe and one in the teen’s parent’s bedroom. One gun did not work and none were in the teen’s room, Heywood noted.
However, the hearing included discussion of the teen’s troubled past. Heywood said the teen was homeschooled after he shared in February an image of himself with a gun on Snapchat. Heywood did not specifically say if the teen was expelled from a school because of this, or if he left voluntarily.
The teen had recently moved to Columbia County from Roseburg, Oregon. The Daily News has not received court records to indicate his city of residence.
In total, the suspect faces four felonies and four misdemeanors. His remaining charges are two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, tampering with physical evidence, second-degree disorderly conduct, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.
His next hearing is scheduled for June 20.
