A 19-year-old Florida man was arrested Thursday after authorities said they discovered he was planning mass shootings at Okeechobee High School and other South Florida areas, WPTV reported.
Henry Joseph Horton IV was pulled over by police in Jupiter the evening of Sept. 18 for a headlight violation, according to WPTV. The officer later reportedly found written pages in Horton’s vehicle that allegedly outlined a plan to buy weapons and “kill everyone at OHS [Okeechobee High School] with my guns,” the outlet reported.
Horton allegedly wanted to kill a school administrator as well as another 14 people, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Palm Beach County’s Sheriff’s Office. Horton was allegedly planning to carry out the attack on Jan. 2, 2024, his 22nd birthday, the affidavit stated. (RELATED: Police Say 10-Year-Old Michigan Boy Had Hit List, Brought Knife To School)
This guy (Henry Horton IV, 19) could buy as many assault rifles as he wants in Florida.
He was planning a mass shooting to kill 15 people at Okeechobee High, his former school.
He was a “good guy” until he went bad. pic.twitter.com/MHDk7FRC9F
— K-12 School Shooting Database (@K12ssdb) October 7, 2023
Horton also allegedly made plans to attack a Miami church, “El Rey Jesus,” and go on a “stabbing spree” to kill an additional 10 people, investigators said.
Horton reportedly told investigators he had also been casing Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School because he had been there on a school day and thought, “hmm interesting,” adding that the reason he wanted to attack the school was “for attention and fame,” according to WPTV.
Before being arrested, Horton reportedly received a mental health evaluation at JFK North Hospital, according to the outlet.
Horton’s parents told WPTV reporter Joel Lopez their son was not a danger but that he struggles with mental health.
“He needs to be treated for mental illness and not be treated as a criminal,” the suspect’s mother, Marcie Horton, said. “He needs a firm diagnosis to find out what the problem is and go from there and get him the help that he so desperately is asking for.”
Horton’s father, who lives in Virginia, told WPTV his son had made similar threats in the past.
“He just said he has these thoughts, and he doesn’t know how to control them,” Horton’s father said. “They just keep coming into his head.”
Currently, Horton faces a charge of written threats to kill or do harm and is being held on a $1 million bond at the main Palm Beach County jail, WPTV reported.
His next court date is Nov. 6, according to the outlet.