The Aransas Pass Police Department in Texas was alerted to the possibility of a school shooting after a 15-year-old boy named William Quince Colburn III uploaded terrifying images on the social messaging site Discord.
The images were pictures of his slain family members — 63-year-old dad William Quince Colburn Jr., 53-year-old mother Jana Colburn, and his 13-year-old sister Emma Colburn. Two family dogs were also shot and killed.
Police were reportedly first notified around 2 a.m. Thursday. They were able to locate the troubled teen off of S. Commercial Street in Ingleside, Texas. But after they arrived, William also killed himself once he realized he had been caught.
The police tried to talk him down when they arrived, but they eventually heard a single gunshot and a thud. After assuming the teen's death had occurred, police entered the scene and saw the slain family as they appeared in the Discord photos. The boy was reportedly in an RV with all of the bodies when he was found.
The chief of police released a statement on the incident and even indicated that William had made threats to shoot up a school. "Late this past evening, APPD officers began an investigation into threats made by a male juvenile. The juvenile conveyed graphic images of dead individuals who he identified as his family who he had killed and shared on a social media platform," the statement read. "Further, he threatened to continue violence at an area school. Officers sensing the urgency in the information shared, began working on the case. Unbeknownst to APPD, the San Patricio County Sheriff’s office was likewise working on the case from a different complaint shared with them via Texas DPS."
"The male juvenile was likewise found deceased from a gunshot wound. In total, investigators found 4 deceased bodies and 2 deceased dogs," the statement continued, after mentioning that they tried to coax the teen out of the RV. "APPD officers have been closely working with APISD and IISD administration from the onset of this case. These close partnerships have been vital to this investigation. At this time, police remain confident there is no continuing threat to areawide students or staff."
It's unclear what William's motive may have been, but his actions show that he was unwell. It's good to know that the police reacted to the issue before anyone else was in harm's way. "We appreciate the social media website and the other juveniles within the group where the threat was made," the police said. "Had it not been for their speedy action and continued support, we might well have been working on an even more tragic event later this morning. Thank you."
Sheriff Oscar Rivera spoke with Caller Times to say that the boy never gave any specifics of what school he planned on targeting. The sheriff said that the boy was homeschooled, so he didn't attend any of the public schools.
"I'm not sure which school he planned to attack but he certainly had the weapons and ammunition to do so," he said.
A GoFundMe page was created by family member Mahria Martin Batts, who explained what the situation looked like from the other side. "This Morning, we all woke up excited to tell our Mother a Happy 53rd Birthday," she wrote. "Instead, we were devastated with news that has broken us to our core. At approximately 8am, My brother, Marvin, received a phone call that no one ever wants to receive. He was contacted by a judge in Aransas Pass, Texas that a tragedy had taken place."
"We were told that there was an incident that had taken the lives of our Mother (Jana Colburn would be 53 today), Father (William 'Buck' Colburn Jr. 62), Little Sister (Emma Colburn 13) and Brother (William 'Quince' Colburn III 15)," she continued. "As you can imagine, this is hard for us right now. This is not something we ever imagined to happen. We were not prepared for 1 loss, yet alone 4."
Mahria seemed just as stunned as the general public. "We are hurt," she wrote. "We do not understand. We are lost. We are angry. We are asking that you please understand that no matter what the events are that came to pass, that we are still mourning all 4."
Other relatives of the family also released a statement to KRIS 6 News. "We would like to start off by saying thank you for all of the support and love coming in from family, friends and the community," they wrote. "We are deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded today. Like many in the community, we are HURT, OUTRAGED, SAD and most of all, [have] a sense of emptiness."
"We are having to run around and try to figure out how we are going to lay them all to rest," the statement continued. "While we appreciate and understand so many emotions being shared with us, on behalf of all of my siblings, I ask that you take into consideration that even with the way this all played out, we are still mourning 4 individuals." This was a devastating loss that could have been prevented.
