Four years before Texas school shooting, Uvalde police foiled a 'mass casualty' plot by two teens planning to attack a middle school

• Authorities prevented a 2018 mass shooting plot in Uvalde, Texas, KENS 5 reported.
• 2 teens were arrested and charged with planning a "mass casualty event" against a middle school.

Four years before a gunman killed 21 people at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, two teens had planned to attack a middle school in the same city, KENS 5 reported in 2018.

In May 2018, the Uvalde Police Department and the Texas Rangers uncovered a plan by two teens to perform a "mass casualty event against Morales Middle School." The suspects included a 14-year-old student and a 13-year-old former student who were motivated by the Columbine mass shooting, Uvalde Police Department, said.

"The investigation revealed that the students were infatuated with the Columbine High School shootings and identified themselves to the shooters. The investigation uncovered that the students even referred to themselves using the Columbine shooter's names," authorities said.

According to a press release, local authorities said the pair initially planned to carry out the attack during their senior year which would have been this year on the anniversary of the Columbine shooting but pushed up the timeline.

"One of the students had numerous writings and drawings which depicted weapons capable of causing mass destruction. He wrote about being 'God-like' and killing police and other persons. He had an academic analysis of one of the Columbine shooter's journals," a press release said, according to KENS 5.

The two students were evaluated by a mental health professional and later arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, KENS 5 reported.

Steven C. McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the 18-year-old gunman involved in the recent attack at an elementary school was not connected to the 2018 plot, KSAT reported.

The shooting at Robb Elementary School, which left two teachers and 19 children dead, is the deadliest since the Sandy Hook massacre 10 years ago.