Former Wootton High student convicted for planning school shooting sentenced

18-year-old sentenced for 2024 school shooting plot

Andrea Ye, who went by Alex, was convicted of planning shootings at Wootton High School and Lakewood Elementary School in Montgomery County in 2024. On Wednesday, Ye was sentenced to 10 years with all but 12 months suspended.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - A teen found guilty of planning to commit shootings at two Montgomery County schools last year was sentenced on Wednesday.

The backstory:

Andrea Ye, who went by Alex, was arrested in April 2024, after police determined that he made threats to commit shootings at Wootton High School and Lakewood Elementary School.

Ye was a student at Wootton and was 18 years old at the time of the arrest.

The central piece of evidence in the case was a 129-page manifesto Ye had written that outlined plans to commit mass shootings at schools.

Prosecutors also said they had evidence of multiple conversations Ye had with people online that praised school shooters. While the names were changed in this supposed manifesto, the judge said she felt the character in the book was an account of Ye’s.

Ye was also hospitalized in December 2022 after making statements to a counselor at Wootton High School about wanting to "shoot up" his school, according to the State's Attorney's Office.

State’s Attorney John McCarthy said this was a serious and troubling case and believes that lives were saved, in particular because of Ye’s peer who read the first few pages of this manifesto and immediately reported it to police.

"We are particularly thankful that this manifesto is similar we’ve seen before," McCarthy said.

What's next:

On May 28, Ye was sentenced to 10 years with all but 12 months suspended. According to the court, he will remain incarcerated at a local prison.

The judge also ordered that Ye must present a plan for mental health and psychiatric treatment. After four months in jail, he must provide a plan for mental health.

Ye is banned from going to Wootton High School or Lakewood Elementary and he is also banned from Discord—the main social platform on which he communicated.

Additionally, in a rare decision, Ye will have to meet with a judge every two weeks for a check-in.

Ye received credit for 14 months served and his sentence starts now. Following release, he will be required to serve five years of probation and must complete 80 hours of community service within the first year that he is out of jail.

Ye is expected back in court at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 25.

New comment:

Ye's defense attorney, Paulette Pagan, released a statement to FOX 5, saying, "We recognize the complexity of this case and the many factors the Court had to weigh. This was not an easy decision, and we deeply respect the Court’s careful balancing of the facts, the law, and the unique circumstances surrounding Mr. Ye and his case."

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