Southeastern Massachusetts teen arraigned, accused of allegedly preparing to use firearm at school

Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois and Falmouth Police Chief Jeff Lourie announced today that an 18-year-old Massachusetts teen has been arraigned on criminal charges for his role in making threats about conducting a school shooting. 

In August, Falmouth Police Department officers received alarming reports about an individual named Ian Fotheringham. The information suggested that Fotheringham had expressed intentions to carry out a school shooting, though no particular school was mentioned. He also reportedly mentioned restoring guns in his bedroom. Police conducted a consensual search of his home but discovered no unlawful weapons.

In early September, Falmouth School District safety personnel alerted police to a suspicious person near one of the district’s schools. The monitors observed a male wandering through the wooded area behind the building and grew worried that he might be scouting the location. Officers later confirmed the man’s identity as Ian Fotheringham.

Subsequent inquiries revealed images of the Columbine High School shooting on Fotheringham’s phone. A court-authorized search of his residence uncovered a sizable 3D printer designed for fabricating firearms. On September 11th around 12:30 p.m., detectives from the Massachusetts State Police unit attached to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, along with Falmouth Police, took Fotheringham into custody and brought him to Falmouth Police headquarters.

The following day, September 12th, Fotheringham appeared in Barnstable District Court for arraignment on a charge of threatening to use a deadly weapon in a public facility. The judge ordered him detained until September 16th, when a hearing will address the state’s request to hold him as a public safety risk.

The investigation involves collaboration between the Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit for the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office and the Falmouth Police Department.

District Attorney Galibois commended the effective teamwork among state and local law enforcement agencies.

The Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office emphasizes that all accused individuals are considered innocent until proven guilty.