FBI and Columbia County law enforcement officials say they thwarted a “detailed and imminent plan for a mass shooting and explosives attack” last month at the Three Rivers Crossing in Kelso, Washington, by an Oregon teenager.
The attack plans on the mall were reported to the FBI on May 19, Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Olson said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.
The suspect was identified on May 20, “as a juvenile Columbia County resident” who Olson said “pledged allegiance to several online nihilistic, violent extremist groups and ideologies.” The suspect was arrested May 22 by Columbia County sheriffs after Olson said FBI Portland SWAT “made contact with the subject at their residence.”
It’s the second such incident in recent weeks. On Monday, police in Bend said they arrested a man who threatened a mass shooting.
Law enforcement at Thursday’s news conference declined to provide the specific age or any identifying information about the teen because they’re a minor. They say the teen had been planning the attack since the beginning of the year.
Columbia County District Attorney Joshua Pond said charges were being filed Thursday in juvenile court and would be made publicly available by the end of the day.
“At this point, the plan is to handle the matter through the juvenile department, but that is simply because removal to adult court is a very rare and difficult process,” Pond said. “It may occur at some point, but right now that’s not presently the plan.”
Google Maps screenshot of the Three Rivers Crossing, formerly Three Rivers Mall, in Kelso, Wash., in July, 2024.
Maps data: © 2025 Google; Imagery July 2024
On May 17, the teen posted detailed plans for the attack online — two days before they were reported to the FBI, Olson told reporters Thursday. Olson declined to specify the site for platform where the suspect posted the information because he said it was still “germane to the investigation.”
The teen’s plans were detailed, including a map of the mall, a route to follow and a plan to create an improvised chlorine bomb that would incite panic. Law enforcement said the teen then allegedly planned to shoot fleeing patrons as they exited a movie theater in the mall before committing suicide.
“The plans included precise details including annotated schematics, a clear route to follow, weapons to be used, and a wardrobe to wear,” Olson said. “An alarming number of indicators of a cogent path to violence were met. At no point in this plan did it appear that the suspect would not follow through.”
During the May 22 search of the teen’s residence, law enforcement seized three pistols, four knives, multiple boxes of various types of ammo, several digital devices and clothing the suspect presumably planned to wear that was shared with the online group.
In this contributed photo, FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Douglas Olson, left, and Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley, right, speak at a press conference at the FBI office in Portland, Ore., June. 5, 2025.
Courtesy of the FBI
Olson stressed that a key takeaway was for the public to report suspicious activity.
“I know we sound repetitive, but if you see something, say something,” he said. “We were able to prevent this because we were informed of it.
