George Zimmerman's attorney to represent Florida school shooting threat suspect
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The attorney who defended George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case will represent the student accused of planning a shooting on the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
High profile attorney Mark O'Mara is now representing John Hagins and replaces his court appointed public defender. A judge determined there was enough evidence to keep Hagins behind bars for now.
O'Mara claims his client purchasing a gun and struggling in school doesn't mean he had intended to carry out a mass shooting.
Daytona Beach Police said Hagins, of North Miami, plotted to shoot fellow students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach on the final day before winter break. They say he didn't have a criminal record but was on academic probation and struggling in school.
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Chief Jakari Young said a backpack belonging to Hagins that he planned to bring to school contained a rifle, six full magazines of bullets, a scope, ear protection, and boxes with 200 more rounds of 9mm ammunition.
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The teen had also reportedly posted photos on social media of the rifle he bought, with the words: "This looks special."
Police also released the arrest report revealing a downward spiral in the teen's life. It states how he was accused of "sexual assault on a female at an Embry-Riddle party last year. During that investigation, Hagins' grades began slipping to the point of him failing."
Hagins has been charged with written threats to injure or kill, terrorism, and attempted first-degree homicide. His arrest came following a tip from other students, Young explained.
O'Mara says once they have more evidence, they will file a motion to bring up another bond hearing.
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