There’s a school of thought that the more publicity that’s given to spree shooters, the more spree shootings we get. By publicizing what sick, twisted individuals do, other similarly disturbed people are incented to do the same and achieve thier own perverse celebrity.
That’s certainly going to be one of the theories for what apparently almost happened in Colorado Springs where police say they stopped a 19-year-old man who claims he’s female from shooting up a school there.
According to KRDO police were called to the man’s home by a family member following an apparent domestic disturbance. Police then questioned William Whitworth who apparently identifies as female and goes by “Lilly.” Police asked if he was planning to attack a school and he nodded yes.
According to the [arrest] affidavit, Whitworth said the last school she attended was Timberview Middle School in District 20. When asked if that was the school she was going to “shoot up,” Whitworth again nodded yes. When asked why that school, Whitworth stated, “No specific reason.”
During the initial interaction with Whitworth, deputies noted she made suicidal statements. According to the affidavit, Whitworth also said she was “a little drunk” and swayed back and forth while walking down the hallway out of the bedroom.
While waiting for the fire department, Whitworth was asked how much she had been planning the school shooting. She stated she was “about a third of the way from doing it,” verifying again that Timberview Middle School was one of the “main targets” currently and other targets were churches.
Whitworth was arrested and charged with planning a mass shooing.
According to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, 19-year-old William Whitworth – who identifies as “Lilly”- was charged after an investigation into “threats involving schools in Colorado Springs Academy District 20.”
Whitworth was arrested by the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office and formally charged with the following offenses:
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- Criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree (two counts)
- Criminal mischief
- Menacing
- Interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions
A spokesperson for District 20 told 13 Investigates the suspect attended school in the district between 2014 and 2016, during which they attended both in-person and the district’s Homeschool Academy.
Whitworth said he’d been planning the shooting for “a month or two,” so it isn’t clear if he was inspired by Audrey Hale nor not. He’d also started a screed talking about what he planned to do.
According to the affidavit, investigators found the manifesto, a dry-erase board with floor plans, and a list of names in a notebook.
Whitworth said the manifesto was four pages long and had “schizophrenic rants” on them. However, the affidavit states when deputies asked if she was schizophrenic, she replied “I hope not.”
What are the odds? This likely isn’t the last such incident we’ll be hearing of.