On January 26, 2017, two male students at The Villages Middle School, a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old, were escorted from lunch by the police then arrested at their homes and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Law enforcement and school officials had followed up on rumours and discovered that some students had been warned not to come to school on Friday. In interviewing the 13-year-old suspect, officials learned of the 14-year-old's involvement. The 14-year-old student acknowledged his involvement in conversations with the 13-year-old student while referencing the Columbine High School shooting. The student informed officials that the two students had planned an attack which included what they would use as a signal to begin shooting. Law enforcement officials found firearms at both the students' homes.