Teen faces terrorism charges in Florida school shooting

A 19-year-old who shot a Florida high school student on Friday shared the “adrenaline rush” he felt that morning and acknowledged he should not have had a gun.

Sky Bouche, 19, was arrested at Forest High School in Ocala on Friday — just hours before the students planned to participate in a nationwide gun violence protest to mark the anniversary of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School.

Instead, students and faculty barricaded themselves during the lockdown, and a 17-year-old boy was taken to a local hospital for a gunshot wound to the ankle.

Bouche faces several charges including terrorism and aggravated assault with a firearm, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.


Photo: Marion County Police

Bouche originally planned a shooting of some kind on Friday the 13th before changing his mind and deciding to shoot up a school in order to attract more media attention, according to the sheriff's office.

“Bouche also expressed to detectives that he felt ignored, and made statements that he could potentially conduct another shooting in the future,” the sheriff’s office said.

The teen, who later spoke to the Ocala Star Banner from Marion County Jail, described the rush he felt when he woke up on Friday and loaded his sawed-off shotgun, which he bought online without a background check.

“It’s not anger, it’s not hatred, it’s an adrenaline rush that, you know, I’m about to do something. I spend most of my time in a room alone so I’m getting this rush, so that’s what I was feeling,” he told the local news outlet.

Bouche, a former student who dropped out in 2016, returned to Forest High School on Friday morning with the gun in a guitar case.

The teen was surprised he could simply waltz into the school bathroom, where he took out his weapon and put on a tactical vest and a pair of gloves.

By the time he stepped out of the bathroom, Bouche said he was overcome with a “disgusting feeling,” and fired the shotgun at the bottom of a locked classroom door before hearing someone scream.

Bouche, who said he “could’ve kept going,” threw down the gun and surrendered to a teacher.

Unaware that he wounded anyone, Bouche said, “I didn’t shoot anyone,” and apologized, adding, “It doesn’t matter anyway” as he was led from the school in handcuffs.

The shooting comes just two months after a gunman killed 17 people and wounded 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

With News Wire Services

These are the victims of the Parkland shooting:

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