An 18-year-old from Falmouth is accused of threatening to carry out a school shooting on Cape Cod, the Cape and Islands’ District Attorney’s office said Friday.
In early September, police were informed that a male on the campus of a Falmouth school was acting suspiciously while walking in the woods in the back of the school.
School safety monitors who questioned the individual, Ian Fotheringham, 18 years old, of Falmouth, grew concerned that he was “casing” the school, District Attorney Robert Galibois said.
Fotheringham’s phone allegedly contained photos of the infamous shooting at Columbine High School in 1999.
The DA’s office did not state which school in Falmouth officers questioned and talked with Fotheringham.
When investigators searched Fotheringham’s home, they allegedly found a large 3D printer that is capable of creating a gun.
The DA’s office says investigators were also called to Fotheringham’s home in August after allegedly receiving “concerning information.”
“Specifically, investigators were informed that allegedly Ian Fotheringham indicated that he wanted to shoot up a school,” DA Galibois stated.
The DA’s office says Fotheringham allegedly did not mention a specific school but allegedly stated that he was refurbishing guns in his room.
Officers who searched the home did not find any illegal firearms present.
Fotheringham was taken into custody on Thursday by members of the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit working with the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office and Falmouth police officers.
Fotheringham was arraigned in Barnstable District Court on Friday on a charge of threatening to use a deadly weapon in a public building.
Fotheringham was ordered held without bail and will next appear in court on Tuesday, September 16.
This case is being investigated by the Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit assigned to the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office and the Falmouth Police Department.
“District Attorney Galibois would like to highlight the strength of collaboration between our local and state law enforcement partners. Because of their swift, coordinated response and shared commitment to public safety, a potential tragedy was prevented. We are deeply grateful for their professionalism, vigilance, and dedication to protecting our community,” the Cape and Island District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
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