A teenager has been arrested for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at her high school on Valentine’s Day – despite it raising vital money for her after a devastating accident.
Trinity Shockley, 18, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, intimidation and conspiracy to commit intimidation. She is being held without bond in the Morgan County Jail in Martinsville, Indiana, for allegedly planning a shooting at Mooresville High School on Friday.
Shockley told investigators she was bullied after a drunk driver hit her in 2022 while she was waiting for the school bus, the documents said. According to local media reports at the time, the incident left her with a fractured femur, fractured arm, sprained ACL, two brain contusions and a web compression fracture.
The school rallied around her and raised more than $12,000 (£9,700) for her recovery. “They’ve been really responsive,” her aunt Angela Altmeyer said after the incident. “They’ve been wanting to send cards and whatever they can do.”
According to a probable cause filing submitted to the court, the FBI’s anonymous reporting system contacted the local sheriff after a tipster said their friend was planning an attack, had access to an AR-15 rifle and had just ordered a bulletproof vest, reports ABC News.
It said the tip revealed that the person in question was obsessed with Nikolas Cruz, the mass murderer who opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. He killed 14 students and three staff members.
The tipster described their friend as “Jamie,” a 12th grade student who identified as transgender, according to court documents. Snapchat messages sent to the tip line included one where “Jamie” characterized her plans as “Parkland part two,” records showed. “I’ve been planning this for a YEAR,” she said in one of the cited messages.
Local police and the FBI conducted a search warrant in her home the same night. There, they reportedly found evidence that she was planning a mass shooting before taking her into custody, according to Fox59. Police say her home contained AR-15 magazines, ammunition and a soft-armoured vest.
But Shockley later told investigators she was “joking” about the alleged planned attack and said that she did not have access to a gun, court documents revealed. But Shockley’s social media posts contained photos of the magazines, flattering messages about Cruz, and threats to carry out a school shooting.
The Mooresville Schools district released a statement saying that it was aware of the arrest and that Shockley “will not return to the school.”
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