Emiliano Cuevas-Bravo
BROWNSTOWN — A Jackson County judge has postponed the trial of a Seymour teenager who has been accused of shooting and wounding a clerk at the Jackson County Public Library in April.
Jackson Circuit Court Judge Richard Poynter has postponed the trial for Emiliano Cuevas Bravo, 18, Seymour, from Oct. 21 to Feb. 3, according to court filings. Cuevas Bravo is facing 15 felonies — including seven Level 1 felonies of attempted murder — stemming from the incident at the Jackson County Public Library on April 30.
Cuevas Bravo’s attorney had asked to postpone the trial “due to the amount of evidence and number of witnesses in the case,” stating that he “will need additional time to property prepare for trial.” Jackson County prosecutors did not object to the request.
“This motion is made in good faith and is not intended to hinder this cause,” the request states.
Cuevas Bravo allegedly fired a shotgun through a glass wall into the library’s circulation desk on the first floor, according to a probable cause affidavit. Pellets from the shotgun shell struck a clerk in the upper left arm.
After the first shot, Cuevas Bravo was unable to remove the spent shotgun shell that had not ejected from the gun. He then went upstairs, threw the gun down and started to throw motor oil from a container he had with him onto the library floor, intending to light a fire in the library.
A library patron allegedly tackled him before he was able to ignite the fire. Police also said they found a pipe “line” bomb constructed from pipe, two end caps and two smoke bombs in his backpack.
The shotgun, that had been purchased by Cuevas-Bravo on March 14 at Acme Sports in Seymour, jammed after the first shot. Police said they later found that Cuevas-Bravo had 95 shotgun shells including the spent one, according to court documents.
Leading up to the shooting, Cuevas Bravo told police during an interview that for the past year, he had been feeling lonely and depressed, even considered himself a failure and had attempted to commit death by suicide, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Cuevas Bravo allegedly told police that he had developed an interest in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, which led him to plan a shooting for Seymour High School, where he was enrolled as a senior, according to court records.
During the incident at the library, Cuevas Bravo wore black in reference to the shooters at Columbine, according to the probable cause affidavit. The planned day, April 30, was allegedly chosen because it was the day of “Hitler’s death day” to target a school resource officer and other students at Seymour High School.
Cuevas Bravo allegedly told police that he was “going to cap the SRO first and then go wild,” shooting and killing random students at the school, according to court documents.
He allegedly drove his vehicle to the high school with the intention to carry out the shooting, concealing the shotgun under some clothing in the passenger seat of his car.
He had parked his vehicle at the soccer and baseball parking lot and had intended to start the shooting and later kill himself when he committed these acts, according to court filings. However, his target changed when he saw a teacher he knew in the area.
Cuevas Bravo allegedly left the high school and drove to the library, where he intended to shoot people and kill himself eventually, according to the probable cause affidavit.
