La Grande

Two La Grande High School students were taken into custody Wednesday, April 14, 2016, in the eastern Oregon town after police said they found evidence the two were planning to shoot people on campus.

(Creative Commons/2015 )

LA GRANDE -- Police say two students are facing criminal charges for planning a mass shooting targeting specific people at La Grande High School.

KPTV reports that officers took the two boys into custody at around 1 a.m. Wednesday.

The La Grande Police Department launched an investigation after receiving a report from the school district that some students overheard talk of classmates planning a shooting at the eastern Oregon campus.

Authorities say they discovered evidence that two students, both under 18 years old, were plotting to shoot people. Both boys are facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder and were taken to a youth detention facility.

"There is still much work to do in this case, but we believe the immediate threat is contained," Police Chief Brian Harvey told the East Oregonian.

La Grande has about 13,000 residents and is the largest city in Union County. The high school has 605 students, according to La Grande School District data.

-- The Associated Press