A potential school shooting in Indiana appears to have been prevented after a tip-off led to the arrest of 18-year-old Trinity Shockley. Concerns arose that she might target her high school on Valentine’s Day.
Authorities apprehended Shockley after discovering a supposed plan to attack Mooresville High School, situated southwest of Indianapolis. The FBI received a tip from a friend who suspected Shockley of planning the assault and having access to an AR-15 rifle and a bulletproof vest.
The informant also disclosed Shockley’s fixation with Nikolas Cruz, who was responsible for the fatal shooting of 14 students and three staff members at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018.
Upon searching Shockley’s residence, authorities found posters of various mass shooters, including images of Cruz, Dylann Roof—who killed nine individuals at a South Carolina church in 2015—and Andrew Blaze, responsible for taking three lives at a Pennsylvania grocery store in 2017.
During questioning, Shockley claimed her intentions were a ‘joke’. However, messages to the tipster revealed her saying: “I’ve been planning this for a YEAR”.
Social media activity showed Shockley posting images of gun magazines and expressing admiration for Cruz and Roof. Authorities have confirmed she made threats regarding a school shooting.
Currently held without bond, Shockley faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder, making threats of terrorism, and conspiracy to commit intimidation.
Mooresville Police Detective Matthew McDaniel, who had gathered information from the school, spoke about the suspect and her mental health background.
Court records reveal Shockley had been in mental health counseling since her freshman year and had expressed suicidal thoughts. Nonetheless, the school had not deemed the situation urgent enough to warrant intervention.
McDaniel also mentioned that her father often obstructed her attempts to receive mental health care when she sought help.
The detective noted in court documents: “It was [the school’s] understanding that Mr. Shockley did not believe in mental health treatment and did not take his daughter’s conditions seriously.”
Shockley informed investigators that she had been subjected to bullying at school, particularly after an incident in 2022 when she was hit by a drunk driver while waiting for the school bus.