A Washington state teenager has been charged with attempted murder after a Floridian saw his TikTok video with a color-coded map of his high school, including legends marked as “gear up,” “potential targets,” targets,” “glass,” be wary of,” and “exit.”
Mason Bently-Ray Ashby, 14, faces 13 charges after investigators searched his home and found the video, a manifesto, and gun safes containing 24 weapons, Law&Crime reported.
The person in Florida who saw the video contacted the FBI, who began tracking where the post originated, KEPR reported. On September 20, FBI agents had narrowed down the location to Kennewick, Washington, and contacted police there.
Police traced cell phone data to a 14-year-old freshman who attends Kamiakin High School — the school seen in the map on TikTok.
A search warrant at the teen’s home — he lives with his grandparents, the Tri-City Herald said — found 24 guns locked inside safes, several documents referencing school shootings, a color coded map of the high school similar to the one in the TikTok video but with more annotations. Those notes included “10:47 – 11:25 AM peak students” and “could shoot through windows,” with a line pointing at the school library, court documents say.
Investigators also found videos and photos showing Ashby handling guns inside his home and a September 19 video shot inside the school. In that video, he is seen discussing the structure of the school library and how he could shoot through glass.
In fact, the search warrant says, his internet search history included how bullets interact with glass.
Police also found a “manifesto” in which Ashby described how he had cracked the codes to the gun safes in his home — the safes that contained 24 guns. A screenshot of part of the manifesto was included:
“Hey, you found my manifesto I am sure you will all be laughing at me by the time you figure out who I am and why I did what I did, especially you people on WPD I wonder if you’ll find my accounts haha, I’m sure my discord and other social media will be released nearly instantly after the massacre. I’ve sent close friends photos of me that will be considered rare or unreleased by the time my plan goes through, hell maybe I’ll even record the attack and send it to a select few. I’ll start with this, at the time of writing I am 14 years old … I turn 15 soon and I’m sure I’ll still be writing then I won’t disclose my name on a google doc but I believe in you guys to find that information yourselves! Anyways, let’s get into me as a person! And then we can talk about why I did this later (probably all you’re here for) … “
The court documents also say detectives learned Ashby was displaying Glock pistol recently while he was with friends — that gun was found to be missing by his grandparents after his arrest, Law&Crime said. Those friends told police they had no idea what Ashby was planning, but parents of one them found messages explaining that another of them had taken the Glock and hidden it. Those messages were sent after Ashby’s arrest. Police found it near the Kennewick mall.
That boy, also 14, pleaded guilty in juvenile court to charges of illegal gun possession, tampering with evidence, and making a false statement to police and was sentenced to 40 days in juvenile detention, 12 months probation, and 25 hours of community service. He also lost his right to own a gun for the rest of his life.
Ashby’s bail has been set at $1 million, KEPR said. He is charged with attempted murder, 11 counts of second-degree possession of handguns, and a threat to harm property, according to Law&Crime.
Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger told the Herald that Ashby is too young to be charged as a adult for attempted murder; only first- or second-degree murder can move a defendant at 14 to adult court. The maximum sentence he could receive if he’s convicted is jail in a juvenile facility until he is 21.
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[Featured image: Kamiakin High School/Google Maps]
