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An 18-year-old Ontario Christian High School student who authorities say plotted to shoot five fellow students developed his ideologies online, police said Friday, Feb. 16.
Sebastian Bailey Villaseñor “was fixated on school shootings,” particularly the Columbine High massacre in Colorado that killed 15 people, including the two shooters, on April 20, 1999, and was timing his attack for the 25th anniversary, Police Chief Michael Lorenz said.
The five students — four girls and a boy — were chosen because of “social interactions” Villaseñor had with them, Lorenz said. Additionally, a prosecutor said, Villaseñor disliked minorities and LGBTQ+ people, putting those groups at risk as well. Lorenz said Villaseñor had difficulty developing relationships.
“Villaseñor used internet platforms to conduct his research,” Sgt. Melissa Ramirez, a police spokeswoman, said Friday. “Villaseñor was self-driven and conducting his own research based on his thoughts, personal choices and proclivities. There is no indication he was radicalized by anyone.”
Ramirez declined to identify those internet sites.
“We do not want to go into more specifics as we do not want copycats going to those sites or giving those sites attention and cyber traffic,” she said.
The Police Department has released photos they said were taken by Villaseñor showing himself holding rifles and a knife. Ramirez, to protect the investigation, declined Friday to say where the photos had been posted.
Villaseñor’s preparation for the attack included mapping out the distance between police headquarters and the school to estimate response times, Lorenz said.
Villaseñor had access to his father’s weapons, said Lorenz, who said investigators seized seven rifles, three handguns, a shotgun and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition from their Eastvale home. The father is not under investigation, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said.
On Thursday, Commissioner Arthur Benner II entered not-guilty pleas on behalf of Villaseñor to five counts of attempted murder and one count of attempted criminal threats. Villaseñor was being held without bail.
On Feb. 8, another student told school employees that they were concerned about possible plans by Villaseñor. The investigation led to his arrest on Feb. 10.
Villaseñor is being represented by the county Public Defender’s Office. Southern California News Group has been unable to contact anyone who will speak on his behalf.
The next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20 in Rancho Cucamonga.