On April 11, the State College Borough Police Department arrested 20-year-old Braeden Phillips for allegedly plotting to attack State College Area High School in late April. Phillips, of Milroy, and formerly of State College, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by the Lions’ Digest, Phillips was planning to attack State High on April 21, the day after the 26th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. On April 20, 1999, two Columbine High School students killed 12 students and one teacher. The massacre was the deadliest school shooting until the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, and is often the subject of copycat shootings and threats.
State High students, teachers and parents were notified about the planned threat in a message from Superintendent Curtis Johnson sent on April 12. The message stated: “An arrest has been made and at this stage of the investigation, police have nothing to indicate that there is an active threat against the school. Accordingly, we can hold school on Monday as normal.”
The message went on to thank School Resource Officer Matt Hertlein and the State College police as well as the “initial report from a concerned citizen.” Johnson noted that the incident illustrated the importance of the “see something, say something” approach.
According to the criminal complaint, State College police learned of the plot on April 10 when a resident of the Youth Service Bureau informed a staff member who then informed law enforcement. Police arrested Phillips on April 11 after interviewing multiple witnesses, including unnamed juveniles.
The complaint listed an unnamed juvenile as a potential accomplice, but no juvenile has been charged. Juveniles are not typically identified by name in criminal proceedings/complaints unless they are being charged as an adult. Additionally, SCASD has not provided comment on the juvenile involvement. This is likely due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which restricts school officials from releasing personally identifiable student information. However, in a message sent State High students and families on April 13, Johnson stated, “We want to reassure you that our schools remain safe. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we want to emphasize that law enforcement has found no indication of an active threat against any of our schools.”
According to the complaint, plans for the attack were formulated as early as or earlier than Feb. 20. One witness told police that Phillips had aired grievances about State High, saying the school “did not serve his educational needs and failed him.” A State College Area School District official familiar with the matter confirmed to the Lions’ Digest that Phillips attended State High but did not graduate.
Additionally, the complaint alleged that a “hit list” was created, however, police have not recovered evidence of this. State College Police Chief John Gardner said that police would “notify that individual and discuss specific safety planning” if someone was determined to be at risk.
The attack was allegedly planned to take place at 8:40 a.m. near State High’s main staircase, which spans all four floors and is located central to the school’s classrooms. Along with this, “bombs” were to be placed in the school bathrooms. State High’s main staircase is notably crowded at 8:40 a.m., which is the official start of the school day.
For the week following the threat’s announcement, enhanced security measures were in place at State High and Delta. There was a heightened police presence at the school and temporary metal detectors were in use for all students entering the State High and Delta buildings. These metal detectors were purchased in November 2024 for use as needed.
On April 14, long lines formed at the building entrances due to security screenings, delaying entry until 9:45 a.m., causing the school to operate on a one-hour delay schedule.
On Tuesday, the lines were shorter, with most students entering by 9:00 a.m. The district was able to borrow additional metal detectors from Penn State, making the process more efficient. The metal detectors continued to be used until April 21, the original date planned for the attack.
On April 21, Johnson announced during a school board meeting that the metal detectors would not be in use for the remainder of the week. He did not share details about what situations the metal detectors would be used for in the future or if school security measures would be changing following the threat.
Multiple students, teachers, and parents, including math teacher and SCAEA president Shai McGowan, spoke in support of the metal detectors.
“In light of the recent threats that have shaken our high school, I want to emphasize the importance of continuing the use of metal detectors on our campus for at least another couple weeks this past week,” McGowan said during the public comment portion of the meeting. “With the implementation of metal detectors and the increased police presence, I can honestly say that I have felt the safest I have in my 29 years at this school. It is disheartening to think that we had to resort to such measures, but the reality is that these tools are vital in maintaining a secure learning environment for our students.”
Junior Via Helling also spoke in support, sharing that they provided comfort in the changing school atmosphere.
“I feel like it’s really important to share what you believe in and speak out about it, especially being a student that goes to the school that was the school that received the threat,” Helling said. “I feel like [the metal detectors were] really important in helping students feel more safe, especially after the threat that we had. And I felt like even though they are kind of a little bit of a hassle, it’s still important to make students feel safe at school,
This changing atmosphere is present throughout the country as school shootings continue to rise. Currently, gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S., contrasting with other countries where road traffic injuries, suicide and interpersonal violence are most common.
In 2025, there have been eight school shootings, including the shooting on April 17 at Florida State University that left two students dead and at least six injured.
While these tragic events headline the news, they often fade into the next breaking news story.
“It’s every student’s worst fear, unfortunately, that something like that could happen. And the fact that it became so close to being realized at State High was very alarming,” sophomore Kelsey Gummo said. “People were definitely more aware, but I feel like now it’s weirdly, quickly gone back to normal…But I don’t feel like going back to our ‘before’ sense of normal might be a good thing.”
Teachers, such as social studies teacher Andrew Merritt, recognized the difficulty of the situation for students and provided support. Merritt posted supportive videos on Instagram and dedicated class time to hearing student perspectives, helping students deal with complex emotions.
“I think it’s important to tell our kids that they’re going to be okay as best as we can make it. And also I wanted to make sure that as teachers we understand we have a responsibility– we can’t just show up. You can’t show up and walk in your classroom. That was a day that we all needed to be here for you guys– and it was scary,” Merritt said. “I hope more than anything that’s what comes out of this, that out of bad always comes good.”
As the school year nears its end, questions remain about the future of State High’s security systems as well as how to deal with gun violence on the national scale. As such, State High Principal Laura Tobias offered her support to students.
“I’m a mom of four boys, but more importantly I think I’m a mom of 2400 students. This is our job and I take that so seriously. And this [the threat] was scary. And how do we help people have that love and comfort to still want to come to school and know that their babies are safe and that you want to be here and you feel safe?” Tobias said. “That’s really critical and important for us to move forward. And we can do it, but we need to do it together.”
Editor’s note: The investigation into the threat is still ongoing, and anyone with information should contact State College police at 814-234-7150, by email, or via anonymous tip.
Additionally, “see something, say something” played a crucial role in this investigation, so we would like to share ways for students to report any information. Students can submit a Safe2Say report here or contact student resource officer Matt Hertlein or a State High principal.
The Lions’ Digest recognizes that students and community members may be emotionally impacted by this event. If you or someone you know if struggling, help is available. District-wide mental health resources can be found here.
