An anonymous tip stopped a suspected school shooter in Mooresville, IN, plotting a possible attack at Mooresville High School on Valentine’s Day. An 18-year-old is now in custody, and investigators have uncovered social media messages and other evidence that she idolized mass shooters like Dylann Roof and Nikolas Cruz.
The investigation has also revealed that the suspect experienced a traumatic accident involving a serious brain injury her freshman year and had sought mental health counseling at her school, which might have averted the situation if the suspect’s father had allowed his daughter to receive additional help.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the FBI’s Sandy Hook Tip Line, where callers can anonymously report suspected school shootings, received a tip that someone who had access to an AR-15 was planning an attack on Valentine’s Day at Mooresville High School, about 20 miles outside Indianapolis.
The affidavit also outlines the tipster’s statement that the suspect, a Mooresville High student named Trinity J. Shockley, a senior, had purchased a bulletproof vest. Documents state that Shockley identifies as a transgender male and sometimes goes by “Jamie” or “Dex,” at least in online conversations.
“Parkland Part 2”
The FBI obtained transcripts of Snapchat and Discord conversations between the tipster, Shockley, and others, in which Shockley outlined her plans, calling them “Parkland part two,” referring to the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, FL, where 13 students and three staff members were killed.
In the social media transcripts, Shockley reveals her obsession with Parkland school shooter Cruz. After the FBI contacted Mooresville police, the IP address in the social media conversations was used to identify Shockley’s home.
Law enforcement searched the residence and found further evidence of the planned attack and Shockley’s romantic interest in school and mass shooters like Dylann Roof, who shot and killed nine people, all Black, in 2015 at a South Carolina church in a racially motivated attack.
Shockley’s notebooks with messages written inside like “I want to hurt others,” “I hate you all DIE DIE DIE!!” were also recovered. Shockley had a collage on her bedroom wall featuring Cruz, Roof, and Andrew Blaze, who killed three people at a Pennsylvania grocery store in 2017 before he shot and killed himself.
According to Shockley’s probable cause affidavit, “Trinity’s motivation for making the plan is Cruz. She wanted to prove that she is his number one fan. Trinity has an emotional attachment to Cruz. Her message behind the plan is that she does not like people who think they are better than everyone else and people should value their everyday life. You never know and you could die at any minute.”
Shockley’s 2022 school bus accident
Trinity Shockley poses with members of the Mooresville Police Department in October 2022. This was following a fundraiser to help cover her medical expenses after being hit by a drunk driver. pic.twitter.com/WE66wOgDC6
— JGmajor7 (@JGmajor7) February 13, 2025
In 2022, when Shockley was 15, a drunk driver hit her as she crossed the street to her school bus, and Shockley was badly injured, suffering broken bones and a skull fracture, according to Indianapolis news outlet WTHR. At that time, Trinity’s aunt told the press, “The last couple of days Trinity has not slept. She’s just been crying nonstop and screaming in so much pain. It’s just unbearable.”
The driver, Michael Simpson, 35, committed suicide about a year later, and Shockley said she felt like she was responsible, according to WISHTV. Since then, Shockley has sought mental health counseling at Mooresville High School, including just a few days before her arrest, where she spoke openly about her suicidal and homicidal thoughts and her romantic interest in Cruz.
Her father reportedly refused to get Shockley any further help because he “did not believe in mental health treatment and did not take his daughter’s conditions seriously,” official documents state.
Mooresville law enforcement interrogated and arrested Shockley on Thurs. Feb. 13. Police recovered ammunition inside the home, but so far, no gun has been found. Shockley told investigators she was only joking and could not access a gun. According to a Mooresville PD news release viewed by WGTC, Shockley currently faces Conspiracy to Commit Murder and related charges and is held without bond at Morgan County Jail.
Published: Feb 14, 2025 02:31 pm