Police thwart would-be college shooter

Classmates of High Point University freshman Paul Steber, 19, reported him for having firearms on campus. When school security officials investigated, they discovered a shotgun and a handgun in his possession. High Point, N.C., police officers arrested Steber on Tuesday and charged him with two felony counts of having weapons on campus and making threats of violence.

How did police know he was planning a shooting? Steber started plotting an attack back in December 2018, according to Guilford County Assistant District Attorney Lori Wickline. She said Steber claimed if his roommate got into a fraternity and he did not, he would kill his roommate and himself because he was tired of being an outcast. Steber purchased the guns over the weekend and watched videos of previous mass shootings. Law enforcement officials noted the incident “illustrates the importance of the public reporting suspicious activity to authorities.”

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew on congressional lawmakers’ struggles to find consensus on gun control.