Police: Protection order filed against Colorado man connected to Mariemont shooting plot

The Colorado man identified as a person of interest in a plot to carry out a mass shooting at Mariemont High School has been prohibited from buying or possessing a firearm until February 2025.

A Colorado Springs Police Department official told The Enquirer that police filed an Extreme Risk Protection Order against the man Wednesday. According to the department, the order is Colorado’s version of a red flag law, which doesn’t allow subjects to possess, control, buy or receive a gun in the state for 364 days after police file an order.

While police said there was enough probable cause to file the order, they said the man is only a person of interest and that they’ve made no arrests nor filed any charges. However, the investigation is still ongoing as Colorado Springs police work with the FBI.

FBI investigates second Mariemont school threat, school asks parents for help

Mariemont Police Chief Rick Hines said local law enforcement is investigating the man as well.

Who was involved in the Mariemont High School shooting plot?

Through text messages, which Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers released at a Feb. 8 press conference, the man was allegedly helping a 14-year-old student devise an attack on Mariemont High School in early January.

According to the text messages, the plan involved using gas to incapacitate others, disabling school surveillance cameras and accessing a gun that was in the home where the teen lived with his father.

They had a list targeting eight students and one teacher, Powers said during the conference.

The plan was thwarted only after another student heard about it and told his father, who then contacted police. The 14-year-old freshman suspect was arrested Feb. 7 and charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated murder.

During a pre-hearing trial Wednesday, Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Kari Bloom ruled that the teen will remain in detention. Prosecutors are seeking to try the teen as an adult.

The Hamilton County Public Defender, the teen’s defense team, said in a statement he has “mental health challenges,” including autism spectrum disorder, and was a victim of the man’s “predatory behavior.”