Geneva woman faces additional charges in foiled shooting plot

GENEVA – The Geneva woman charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Canada faces additional charges in that country, according to Canadian police.

Lindsay Kanittha Souvannarath, 23, and Randall Steve Shepherd, 20, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, also have been charged with conspiracy to commit arson, conspiracy to use weapons for a dangerous purpose and unlawfully conveying threats through social media, said Denise Smith, deputy director of public prosecutions at the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service. Souvannarath and Shepherd on Tuesday appeared in Provincial Court in Halifax. Their duty counsel said they are not seeking bail, and the case is set to be continued March 6, Smith said.

The charging document presented in court Tuesday indicates that Souvannarath and Shepherd were accused of conspiring with James Lee Gamble, who is deceased, on the weapons-related charge, Smith said.

The documents lists the charges as occurring between the period of Jan. 6 and Saturday, Smith said.

A Crime Stoppers tip that originated in Canada suggested a 19-year-old – later identified as Gamble – and Souvannarath had access to firearms, and they intended to go to a public venue Saturday with the goal of opening fire to kill citizens before killing themselves, police reported. Shepherd and Souvannarath were arrested at 2 a.m. Friday at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, police said.

Gamble was found dead Friday morning at a residence in Timberlea, a community within the province of Nova Scotia, police said. Authorities seized three long-barrel rifles at the home, Canadian police said at a news conference Saturday.

The shooting plot appeared to be isolated to Canada with no threat to the Geneva area, Geneva Police Cmdr. Eric Passarelli said on Saturday during a news conference. Geneva police has never had any contact with Souvannarath, he said.

Canadian citizens placed phone calls, sent electronic messages and dropped off baked goods to thank police agencies for their efforts to stop the shooting plot, wrote Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Halifax Regional Police in a statement issued Tuesday.

“The news that this event was planned was an eye opener to all and has shocked Haligonians and Nova Scotians to their core,” police wrote in the statement. “Although we regularly plan, train and equip for incidents, such as this, it has equally shocked us in the policing community.”

Souvannarath’s middle name was corrected as being spelled “Kanittha” in the Tuesday statement.

A 17-year-old male from Cole Harbour also was taken into custody during the investigation and released without charge, Canadian authorities wrote in a news release on Saturday. Police described him as a person of interest but reported there was no evidence to link him to charges.

“The investigation is ongoing,” police wrote in the Tuesday statement.