Police in Georgia Say They Stopped a Cherokee High School Shooting Plot After Arrests in a Joint Investigation With Federal and Local Agencies

CANTON, GA — Authorities in Cherokee County say they disrupted a suspected plan to carry out a shooting at Cherokee High School and arrested three people tied to the case. Police released the details Tuesday after a joint investigation that began with threatening social media posts detected by FBI Atlanta last week.

Investigators say the case led to arrests in Georgia and California, with charges including conspiracy to commit murder. Police also say they seized guns, ammunition and electronic devices as part of the investigation. Canton Police Chief Marty Ferrell said officers treated the threat as serious and credited law enforcement partners for moving quickly.

How investigators say the case began

FBI Atlanta said it first identified threatening posts on social media and notified Cherokee County School District Police. That alert triggered a cooperative investigation involving multiple agencies, including Canton police and federal authorities.

Officials have not publicly described the posts in detail, but they say the messages raised enough concern to warrant immediate action. Police say the response focused on determining whether the threats were credible and identifying anyone who may have been involved before any violence could happen.

The case remains focused on Cherokee High School, though authorities say they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the school or to any other Cherokee County campus.

A juvenile was arrested first in Cherokee County

Police say they arrested a juvenile on Oct. 20 in connection with the plot. The suspect was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and disruption or interference with the operation of public schools.

Authorities did not immediately release additional identifying information about the juvenile, which is common in cases involving minors. The arrest marked the first public action in what investigators describe as a broader conspiracy case.

Ferrell said the department takes threats against students and school staff seriously. He added that the arrest was the result of quick work by detectives and cooperation among agencies working the case.

Two more suspects were later taken into custody

Three days after the juvenile arrest, officers detained Shane Keith Taylor, 17, of Metter. Police say he faces a charge of conspiracy to commit murder and was transported to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.

Investigators also arrested Michael Brandon Terry, 21, of Chatsworth, California, in California with help from the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department. He is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and is awaiting transfer to the Cherokee detention center.

Officials have not said how the three suspects are connected beyond the alleged conspiracy. They also have not said whether the arrests were made at the same time in coordination or separately as the investigation developed.

Officials say guns and ammunition were seized

Law enforcement says the investigation turned up weapons, ammunition and electronic devices. Authorities did not immediately say where the items were recovered or how they may fit into the alleged plot.

The seizures are part of what police describe as a continuing criminal investigation into the threats that surfaced online. Investigators have not said whether any of the recovered devices have been searched or what evidence, if any, they contained.

Even so, police say the material collected helped support the arrests and the charges filed so far. The combination of digital threats and physical evidence appears to have played a central role in the case.

No ongoing threat is known for Cherokee schools

Authorities say there is no known continuing danger to Cherokee High School or to other schools in the county. That assurance came after the arrests and the seizures, as officials worked to calm concerns within the district.

Ferrell said the safety of students and school staff remains the department’s top priority. He also thanked the agencies involved for their rapid response and detective work.

For now, police say the focus is on the criminal case itself, including the charges against the three suspects and the evidence gathered during the investigation. Officials have not announced any additional arrests.