A 19-year-old freshman at High Point University in North Carolina was arrested after police found two guns in his dorm room. Paul Arnold Steber told police that he purchased the two weapons with plans to "kill people" on campus if he did not get into a fraternity. Steber is facing two felony weapons charges for having guns on campus and one charge of making a threat of mass violence. Steber had reportedly been planning his attack since December.
"He told officers that he definitely had a plan, something that he had been thinking about since Christmas of last year," Assistant District Attorney Lori Wickline said.
Officials say Steber was watching YouTube videos about other mass shootings, including the attack at a church in South Carolina in 2015. The Boston native told investigators that one of the reasons he decided to go college in North Carolina was because it was easier to obtain guns than it is in Massachusetts.
Police began investigating Steber after other students reported that he had guns and ammunition in his dorm room. Police found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun when they took him into custody. They did not say whether he purchased them legally.
Steber's bond was set at two million dollars, but he is being held for ten days and will undergo a mental health evaluation.
"This incident illustrates the importance of the public reporting suspicious activity to authorities," the High Point Police Department said in a statement. "Information from the public is often the critical first step in preventing acts of mass violence."
Photo: High Point Police Department