Three people face conspiracy to commit murder charges after authorities said they disrupted a plan to attack Cherokee High School in Canton.
Arrest warrants allege the suspects obtained school floor plans and selected Aug. 20, 2027, for the shooting, Fox 5 Atlanta reported Oct. 29.
Canton police announced the arrests Oct. 27. The suspects are Shane Keith Taylor, 17, of Metter, Georgia; Michael Brandon Terry, 21, of Chatsworth, California; and an unnamed juvenile identified by school officials as a former Cherokee High student.
Investigators allege Taylor and Terry agreed to provide weapons for the planned attack. Authorities seized firearms, ammunition and electronic devices during the investigation.
The FBI identified threatening social media posts and alerted school district police, who contacted Canton investigators. The juvenile was arrested Oct. 20 and also faces a charge of disrupting public school operations, according to reports on the arrests.
Taylor and Terry were arrested Oct. 23. Taylor was booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center. Terry was awaiting extradition from California when police announced the case.
Authorities said Oct. 27 that they had identified no ongoing threat to Cherokee High or other schools in the county. The investigation remains active. Officials have not publicly explained the motive or how the suspects knew one another.
The Cherokee County School District increased police presence at the high school and arranged additional counseling support beginning Oct. 28, Fox reported.
Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis and School Police Chief Buster Cushing briefed Cherokee High faculty and staff in person. Principal Andy Hall coordinated the extra counselors, and the district notified families about the arrests and security measures.
Davis credited cooperation among school police, Canton police, the FBI and other agencies with disrupting the alleged plot.
Anyone with information can contact Canton police at 770-720-4883 or submit a tip through the FBI’s tip portal.
