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28 October 2025 – Nate Avara
In February 2025, Trinity J. Shockley of Indiana (18 years old, female/male transgender) was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of intimidation to commit terrorism.
Reports indicate that Shockley planned a shooting at Mooresville High School on Valentine’s Day and discussed these plans on Discord and Snapchat before a tip was sent to the FBI, leading to an arrest.
During the investigation, agents discovered that Shockley had created a shrine dedicated to Nikolas Cruz (Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter), Dylann Roof (Charleston church shooter), and Ethan Crumbley (Oxford High School shooter). Shockley also expressed feelings of being a “loser” and reported feeling disenfranchised with the reality of living among those around her, expressing a desire to harm others and stating that some people needed to be “wiped from humanity.”
Detectives reported that Shockley planned the attack for lunchtime due to what she described as a “target-rich environment.”
According to reports, Shockley had sought mental health support, including help for bullying at school after sustaining brain injuries in an automobile accident. However, her father reportedly did not support her receiving treatment.
Fortunately, Shockley was arrested before she could carry out her plans.
Dave Cullen (2019) identifies that mental health challenges—particularly teen depression—were documented in 61% of school shooters, and among those, 78% had a history of suicidal thoughts or attempts. These behaviors typically do not present as a sudden change or “snap” that turns them into mass killers, but rather as a slow progression in which children smolder in their emotions and struggle to process their feelings. The planning phase for an attack often lasts months, with predisposition indicators sometimes appearing as early as primary school (p. 386). These years and months offer critical opportunities to prepare children for the rigors of adolescence and equip them with the tools needed to cope with mental health challenges that may arise.
References
Cullen, D. (2019) Columbine. 25th Anniversary Memorial Edition. Twelve.
Wehner, G. (2025, October 27). Indiana trans student admits to plotting Valentine’s Day school shooting, kept ‘shrine’ to mass killers. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/indiana-trans-student-admits-plotting-valentines-day-school-shooting-kept-shrine-mass-killers