'We avert disaster': Florida high school shooting copy cats found, arrested

Christal Hayes | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Florida school shooting: A timeline From the time Nikolas Cruz entered the building until the time he left, only six minutes passed. During that brief time, he allegedly shot more than two dozen students and teachers, 17 of them fatally. (Feb. 16)

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this report misstated the number of years Jack Sawyer is accused of planning a school attack in Vermont and when he was apprehended.

The deadly high school shooting in south Florida has led to a number of copy cats threatening to attack schools across the nation.

The devastation at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. was enough to leave schools everywhere on edge but online threats worsened things and even led to a number of false shooting reports Friday.

Schools in North Carolina, Connecticut, Vermont and New Jersey were among those targeted by threats online, including an image of a masked student holding a gun with the caption, "Round 2 of Florida tomorrow."

Many appeared to be hoaxes but others were well-planned, police said.

A Vermont teen was arrested Thursday afternoon and charged Friday after a tip to law enforcement.

Jack Sawyer, 18, detailed his intentions in a journal he titled, "Diary of an Active Shooter" and recently purchased a shotgun, according to Vermont State Police Maj. Glenn Hall.

He wanted to cause mass casualties and had been planning for about two years, Hall said.

"By the grace of God and the bravery of a courageous young woman did we avert disaster," Scott said. He added that he was "jolted" by the details of the case, as described in a sworn police outline of the case called an affidavit.

In South Carolina, a teen was arrested after a photo of him masked and holding up a rifle was reported to law enforcement.

More: Police: South Carolina teen arrested after threatening ‘Round 2 of Florida’ on Snapchat

More: Social media video didn't contain an immediate threat to Nutley schools, police say

More: Fair Haven shooting threat: 'By the grace of God' Vermont avoided disaster

The suspect told authorities the Snapchat post was a joke. Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Bobo said the gun turned out to be a pellet gun but officials weren't taking any chances and charged him.

Law enforcement has been adamant in reminding people to report anything suspicious to law enforcement in the aftermath of the shooting in Florida.

Police said ahead of the shooting, alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz made a series of troubling posts on social media. Many who know Cruz have said they thought he was troubled.

Follow Christal Hayes on Twitter at @Journo_Christal.