Warrant: Barnes and Noble shooter read about mass shootings on the internet before Cary incident

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Tuesday, April 2, 2019
New details about Barnes and Noble pellet gun shooter
New details about Barnes and Noble pellet gun shooter

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- The 18-year-old who police say opened fire with two pellet guns at a Barnes and Noble in Cary last month had previously read about mass shootings on the internet, according to new search warrants.

According to the warrants, Jonathan Kyle Courtney admitted to the prior research while police were questioning him about the improvised explosive device (IED) he had with him during the shooting.

Courtney is facing eight felony charges in connection with the shooting on March 23 that injured five people.

The warrants state that he began planning the shooting on March 19 and had tried to construct the IED, which was later determined to be non-functional, in the bedroom of his Cary home.

"Jonathan stated that he had read multiple articles on the internet about mass shooting across the world," the warrants say.

Police seized pellet gun cartridges and containers from the home.