John Hagins Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Threats Against ERAU

22-year-old John Hagins, the man accused of threatening to conduct a mass shooting at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has been sentenced to eight years in prison plus 22 years of probation for his crimes. Hagins was a flight student at ERAU in Daytona Beach when, on December 8th, 2021, he’s said to have made a threat to kill numerous people.

The incident began that evening when Hagins reportedly sent a photo to another person on the social media app Snapchat showing a backpack containing a firearm and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The recipient of this photo contacted ERAU’s campus security to report what they’d been sent, and from there the Daytona Beach Police Department was brought in.

The following morning, Hagins was arrested after reportedly being seen leaving his apartment wearing the backpack from the Snapchat message. When apprehended and interviewed by law enforcement, he’s said to have confessed he’d talked about committing a school shooting at ERAU. He’s said to have drawn inspiration from the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, which left 15 dead and 24 more injured in Colorado.

The gun and ammunition were reportedly recovered by the DBPD at the time of Hagins’ arrest. In order to afford the purchase of the weaponry, Hagins was said to have sold his personal vehicle. He has been in custody for the entirety of the three-plus years since his arrest, charged with attempted terrorism, written threats to kill or commit bodily injury, and attempted manslaughter with a firearm. Hagins later pleaded no contest to these charges.

“This defendant was stopped before he could carry out his plan to inflict mass casualties on one of our country’s most prestigious universities,” said State Attorney R.J. Larizza. “We should all be profoundly grateful for the investigative prowess exhibited by the DBPD.”