Law enforcement in Colorado say a mass school shooting has been prevented after a 19-year-old suspect was arrested. A manifesto allegedly reveals detailed plans to carry out multiple school shootings in Colorado Springs.
The arrest comes less than two weeks after a school shooter killed three students and three faculty members at a Nashville Christian academy.
While details from the Nashville shooter’s manifesto have yet to be released, the public is getting a look inside the Colorado suspect’s mind through her manifesto.
According to an affidavit, 19-year-old William Whitworth, a transgender woman who goes by “Lilly,” has been charged with attempted murder for threatening to shoot up schools in Colorado Springs. The suspect was a former student at schools on her list to shoot up.
A sibling of Whitworth’s called police to report their sister had threatened to carry out a school shooting. Investigators found a manifesto, a dry-erase board with sophisticated floor plans and suicidal notes.
Whitworth had been planning the school shooting for more than a month, writing a four-page manifesto, targeting schools and churches.
Police found research on explosive devices, firearms training, and how to 3D print weapons. They also found a list of names of the individuals Whitworth planned to kill, and a list of schools she planned to target.
During an interview with police, an officer asked Whitworth why she was going to shoot up a school. Whitworth reportedly replied by saying “why does anyone do it.”
When asked if she was really going to carry out the shooting, Whitworth nodded her head, indicating yes. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 5, 2023.
Whitworth is being held on a $75,000 bond.
