Plainfield High student arrested for school shooting plan, police say

A Plainfield High School student has been arrested after police say he had plans to carry out a shooting at Grand Prairie Elementary School near Joliet. A family member intervened before the juvenile could cause harm, deputies say.

Friday was the last day of school for Grand Prairie students and there was no active threat to students or staff. The arrest happened after students were dismissed for early release, according to a Plainfield School District Facebook post.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested the unnamed high school freshman in Plainfield Township at 12:50 p.m. Friday after a relative discovered the student had a gun, pinned the boy down, and called 911.

At the time of his arrest, the student had a Glock handgun, knives, an accelerant, gloves and a backpack which contained multiple loaded magazines, plus other items, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office.

In a message to his school community, Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 Superintendent Glenn Wood said that the relative and law enforcement had intervened before the shooting could occur. Wood also described the youth as a freshman at Plainfield High School’s Central Campus, who last attended school in December and “has a documented history of poor attendance.”

The student remained in custody at an area hospital, where he is being evaluated after making suicidal and homicidal statements to the first responders.

No charges have been filed as of Saturday evening, a sheriff’s spokesperson confirmed.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 7:34 PM.