An 18-year-old girl was arrested on Thursday for allegedly planning a mass shooting at her high school on Valentine’s Day.
Trinity Shockley faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder, intimidation, and conspiracy to commit intimidation. She is currently being held without bond at the Morgan County Jail in Martinsville, Indiana.
A probable cause filing submitted to the court reveals that the FBI’s Sandy Hook Promise Say Something Anonymous Reporting System alerted the local sheriff after a tipster reported that their friend was planning an attack. The tipster claimed that the individual had access to an AR-15 rifle and had recently ordered a bulletproof vest.
The filing also stated that the person of concern was reportedly fixated on Nikolas Cruz, the gunman responsible for the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018, which resulted in 14 student deaths and three staff members.
The tipster, who identified the individual as “Jamie,” a 12th grader who is transgender, provided further details through Snapchat messages, including one where “Jamie” referred to the planned attack as “Parkland part two.” Court documents show that Jamie stated, “I’ve been planning this for a YEAR,” in one of the messages.
Court documents revealed that Shockley sought mental health counseling on Tuesday at Mooresville High School, where she was a senior. During the session, she reportedly disclosed being sexually attracted to Nikolas Cruz and stated that “she has already named the children” she planned to have with him. Shockley also showed the counselor a heart locket containing Cruz’s photo and mentioned that she had written to him multiple times.
On Wednesday, police executed a search warrant at the apartment Shockley shared with her father. In her bedroom, authorities discovered photos of Cruz, Dylan Roof—who killed nine people at a South Carolina church in 2015—and Andrew Blaze, who killed three people at a Pennsylvania grocery store in 2017. Shockley’s backpack was adorned with buttons featuring the faces of these killers, which also appeared as wallpaper on her laptop.
Additionally, officials found a poster for the 2003 film Zero Day, which depicts a school shooting, and discovered disturbing images and writings inside her notebooks, including swastikas, the words “kill,” “bang,” and “I hate you all DIE DIE DIE.”
According to official records, Shockley’s diary entries revealed deep self-loathing and detailed the bullying she experienced at school. One entry from last month read, “These thoughts won’t stop. I want to hurt others. All of the time!”
In addition to the information provided by the anonymous tip, police confirmed that Shockley’s home contained AR-15 magazines, ammunition, and a soft armor vest.
Shockley later told investigators that she was “joking” about her plans and claimed she did not have access to a gun, according to court documents. However, her social media posts contradicted this, containing photos of AR-15 magazines, flattering messages about Cruz and Roof, and threats to carry out a school shooting.
In response to the arrest, the Mooresville Schools district issued a statement confirming they were aware of the situation and that Shockley “will not return to the school.”
Mooresville Police Detective Matthew McDaniel noted in court records that Shockley had been receiving mental health counseling since her freshman year and had previously expressed suicidal thoughts. However, the school reported that “nothing was significant enough to cause intervention.”
McDaniel further revealed that Shockley’s father “would deny her access to the resources” whenever she sought mental health assistance. According to McDaniel’s findings from the school, it was understood that Mr. Shockley did not believe in mental health treatment and did not take his daughter’s conditions seriously. When Trinity turned 18 in November, she signed up for treatment on her own.
Shockley told investigators that she had been bullied after a drunk driver struck her in 2022 while she was waiting for the school bus. According to court documents, the incident left her with serious injuries, including a fractured femur, fractured arm, sprained ACL, two brain contusions, and a web compression fracture.
In response to her injuries, the school community came together, raising more than $12,000 for her recovery. At the time, her aunt, Angela Altmeyer, spoke to a local reporter, saying, “They’ve been really responsive. They’ve been wanting to send cards and whatever they can do.”
ABC News reached out to Trinity Shockley’s father, Tim Shockley, and other family members for comment. No court date has been set.
