By Kate PlummerShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA student from Indiana has been sentenced to jail for planning to carry out a school shooting—a plan that was foiled because of an FBI tip.
Trinity Shockley, aged 19, will face 12 years behind bars and five years of probation after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder at Mooresville High School in Indiana earlier this year.
Newsweek reached out to the FBI and Shockley's attorney by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
The threat of school shootings looms large in America. According to Statista there were 83 school shootings in the U.S. in 2024. Since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, more than 338,000 students in the U.S. have experienced gun violence at school, according to gun violence nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise.
...What To Know
Shockley was accused of planning to carry out a mass shooting on February 14, Valentine's Day—exactly seven years after the Parkland shooting in Florida, in which Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people. Court documents said she was influenced by this attack and had been planning it for a year. Her attorneys said she had mental health issues and was bullied, according to multiple reports.
She was arrested on February 13 on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, intimidation and conspiracy to commit intimidation after an unknown individual submitted a tip to the Sandy Hook Promise 'Say Something' line, an anonymous reporting system set up by the charity. This was relayed to the FBI, who coordinated with the Mooresville Police Department. She has been held in Morgan County jail for the last nine months.
She pleaded guilty last week as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, according to multiple reports. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison with eight years suspended.
What People Are Saying
The FBI Indianapolis wrote on Facebook: "This case is a powerful reminder that when the public speaks up, lives can be saved. We remain committed to working with our partners to protect our schools and to hold accountable those who threaten them."
Dr. Jake Allen, Superintendent of Mooresville Schools previously told Newsweek: "I am incredibly grateful for the quick response of our local, state, and federal law enforcement whose actions prevented what could have been a devastating situation. Through our school staff as well as partnerships with multiple outside agencies, a variety of mental health resources are available to all students of Mooresville Schools. We strongly encourage any student or family with questions about resources to reach out to their school office. Our schools should always be a place of safety, learning, and belonging. We are committed to doing everything in our power to keep our schools safe. Together, as a community, we will continue to protect and support one another."
What Happens Next
The FBI advised people to contact law enforcement or submit tips to the FBI in the event that they "see or hear something that doesn't seem right."
Meanwhile, a mass shooting at a child's birthday party in Stockton, California on Saturday has left three children and one adult dead and 11 others wounded.
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