Boy, 15, who opened fire at Atlantis Beach Baptist College sparking fears of a school shooting is jailed

A vulnerable teenager who fired gunshots into a classroom, sparking fears of the first US school shooting in Australia, will spend at least 16 months in detention.

The 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took two guns to his school, Atlantis Beach Baptist College in Two Rocks, about 70km north of Perth, on May 24 last year.

He fired three shots from his father’s .243 shotgun, sending students and teachers running for cover as two bullets hit a classroom and another hit a grassy area near a playground.

No one was physically injured and the teenager was arrested at the scene after calling Triple Zero and admitting what he had done, the Perth Children’s Court heard on Thursday.

He later pleaded guilty to eight charges, including two counts of unlawful conduct with intent to harm and endanger the lives of students and teachers.

Court President Hylton Quail said during sentencing that it was an extremely serious and bad incident.

“Luckily no one was shot,” he said.

“Good luck prevented a tragic outcome.”

Judge Quail said the teenager’s actions caused fear, anxiety and distress among teachers and students.

“The offense ran cold the blood of every student and parent, and I suspect even everyone in Western Australia who heard about it,” he said.

‘One teacher said she had never been so scared in her entire life.

‘Everyone will remember this day for a long time.’

Judge Quail said the boy was intelligent and came from a good family, and his parents were shocked by his behaviour.

He also said the teenager had ‘abandoned’ his original plan to kill people before ‘pulling the trigger’ and accepted he deeply regretted his actions.

Judge Quail sentenced the boy to three years in prison, of which he must serve at least 16 months before he is eligible for release.

The court heard that during the call to triple zero, the boy told the operator that he initially intended to kill people and himself, but did not go through with it to protect his siblings.

The incident put the school on lockdown amid reports that a gunman dressed in black pointed his weapon at students on the playground.

One student lay on the ground and tried to use a backpack for cover, leading a teacher to fear he had been shot.

Others ran into classrooms and hid under tables and in closets and storage areas.

Police rushed to the scene after the incident (pictured) and the boy who fired the gunshots dialed triple zero and admitted what he had done to authorities

The terrifying incident took place at Atlantis Beach Baptist College in Two Rocks (photo stock image), about 70km north of Perth

The boy, who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and was suffering from a depressive episode at the time, began planning the shooting months earlier after being bullied and targeted by gossip.

The court heard he had conducted dozens of internet searches for information on school shootings, massacres and the age of criminal responsibility.

Four days before he pulled the trigger, the teen talked “a lot about mass shootings in the US” during a conversation with a friend.

He told someone else the night before the incident that he had to stay home the next day because he was going to shoot up the university. Neither of them took him seriously.

The next morning, he opened his father’s gun safe and removed two guns before driving his father’s SUV to the school.

Judge Quail previously said there was no legal record of a school shooting in Australia before the boy’s offending.

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