A mass shooting at schools by another transgender individual has been averted by Colorado Springs police. Charges have been filed against the young man who identifies as a female according to a statement by the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
William Whitworth, 19, was charged on April 6 following an investigation into threats involving the schools in Colorado Springs Academy District 20, officials said.
Whitworth, who told police he identifies as “Lilly,” has been charged with two counts of criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree, one count of criminal mischief, one count of menacing, and one count of interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions.
The suspect is currently being held in the Elbert County Jail on a $75,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on May 5, officials said.
According to arrest records obtained by local news outlets, Whitworth previously attended three District 20 schools in Colorado Springs for a total of nine months over a two-year period between August 2014 and October 2016.
Arrest records state that a family contacted the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office after Whitworth allegedly made multiple references to school shootings and threatened to shoot up a school, NBC affiliate KOAA-TV reported.
Police questioned Whitworth’s in his home where he affirmed to police the plan to carry out a school shooting.
Whitworth reportedly confirmed to law enforcement officials that he had been planning the school shootings for months and had “too much” knowledge about school shootings.
Police acknowledged the existence of a manifesto with an entire page regarding mass killings, which includes drawings of classrooms and a detonator. Whitworth allegedly told police that he had watched a YouTube video to learn how to create a detonator.
Police reportedly took multiple pieces of evidence from Whitworth’s home, including journals detailing various firearms and how to 3D print them, detailed lists of individuals that were to be killed and how they would be murdered or injured, and information regarding how to build improvised explosive devices. Police also alleged it included anti-Trump writings.
Eric Ross, a spokesman for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, told The Gazette that Whitworth is in the process of transitioning to female.
The charges against Whitworth come shortly after a transgender individual killed six people, including three young children, in a Nashville Christian school.
–Wire services
