NEW HAVEN, CT (WFSB) -
Eyewitness News has learned the 19-year-old woman, who threatened to carry out a mass shooting at Gateway Community College in New Haven, is also facing charges for making serious threats against someone she met on Facebook.
Amanda Bowden of East Haven was arrested after she made a threat that she was going to do something similar to the Newtown shooting where a gunman shot and killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14.
According to officials with Gateway Community College, the school was contacted by the New Haven Police Department after a threat was made on Facebook by Bowden, who is a mother of two young children, against the college.
Officials said the FBI was notified about the threat and concluded, "there was no imminent danger."
However, students were on edge Thursday after hearing the news.
"That was something scary to hear because they stopped classes to talk to us about it," said Libby Thomas, who is a student at Gateway Community College.
West Haven Police Department said Bowden threatened a guy she met on Facebook.
Bowden held a gun in a picture and wrote in the text: "I hope you have fun getting your head blown off."
Police said Bowden sent death threats to the man, who told her to stop calling.
"Have fun dying, LOL," she said in a text to the man.
A man told Eyewitness News that he has contacted police because he is worried about Bowden's children.
"She's a wonderful person and she raised these girls and did everything she could for them," said her unidentified friend. "My heart really breaks for her. It really does because she doesn't deserve this aggravation."
Federal officials said they have texts and phone conversations with Bowden where she describes her plans to do the mass shooting and bombing at Gateway Community College.
"Yes I drew parts of the school out as to where to go first and the timing of it all," according to court documents. "We will be killing people and I'll be so happy. Haha. I always pictured my life like this."
In federal court documents, Bowden praised Adam Lanza, who was the shooter in the Sandy Hook shooting, and stated that she wanted to "one-up" him.
Federal agents searched Bowden's home and never found any guns or bombs.
Bowden will have a detention hearing at Federal Court in Bridgeport Friday where she was charged with a federal felony for the Gateway threat.
Gateway Community College said it has made $1.2 million worth of security improvements to the school over the past year.
"The security and safety of Gateway students and personnel are always a top priority," Kendrick said in the statement.
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