Colorado authorities have arrested a 19-year-old man who identifies as a woman for allegedly planning to shoot up multiple schools in the Colorado Springs area.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office filed formal charges Thursday against William Whitworth, who calls himself “Lilly Whitworth,” who allegedly planned to shoot up multiple schools in the Academy School District 20 (ASD20), Fox 21 News reported.
The formal charges included:
- Criminal Attempt to Commit Murder in the First Degree (two counts)
- Criminal Mischief
- Menacing
- Interference with Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions
Whitworth was arrested for probable cause and taken to the Elbert County Jail.
A preliminary hearing is reportedly scheduled for May 5 at 2:30 p.m., with Whitworth’s bond set at $75,000.
According to the news report, an affidavit states an Elbert County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a 911 call by Whitworth’s sister over a disturbance in a home located at Double Tree Ranch Circle in the Unincorporated Town of Elbert Friday night, March 31.
The caller said her “sister, identified as Lilly Whitworth, threatened to shoot up a school at least twice and has severe anger issues, per arrest papers,” Fox 21 reported.
The deputy reportedly found “trash piled up all around the house to where it made it hard to walk inside,” and “numerous containers filled with half-eaten food with mold growing inside and numerous alcoholic beverage containers laying around the house.”
The affidavit also added that the room in which Whitworth was sleeping showed two holes in the wall, appearing with punch marks, and the door of the bedroom off its hinges. The room reportedly had trash “piled up as high as Whitworth’s bed, a hole in the wall beside the bed, and sheets stained brown,” Fox 21 reported, and continued:
While being questioned, Whitworth told the deputy she had been planning a school shooting for “a month or two,” and was “about a third of the way from doing it.” Timberview Middle School was currently a “main target,” with other targets being churches, per the affidavit. The deputy asked why that school and she stated, “No specific reason.”
KRDO News reported as well:
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.
Whitworth also said he knew “too much” about school shootings, according to KRDO, and allegedly stated he watched a YouTube video about how to use a clock as a detonation device.
Fox 21 reported Whitworth said he had planned a school shooting for “a month or two,” and figured he was “about a third of the way from doing it.”
He allegedly planned to write a manifesto and had some understanding of the logistics of the Timberview Middle School, as judged by a reported drawn layout of the school on a dry-erase board, as well as plans for firearms.
Fox 21 News also reported:
Whitworth told deputies her manifesto was four pages with “schizophrenic rants” and mentions of mass killers and serial killers. During a search, deputies later found the manifesto, which listed firearms and how to 3D print them, numerous named individuals to be killed and their casualty versus injury rate, and information detailing the creation of improvised explosive devices, per arrest papers. The manifesto also included the finalization of locations, which included Timberview Middle School, Prairie Hills Elementary and Pine Creek High School.
A search warrant on Whitworth’s home revealed evidence that included:
- The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrick Engels
- Whitworth’s manifesto
- A notebook with suicidal ideations
According to a statement from an ASD20 spokesperson, Whitworth attended three schools within the district over two years, but only for a total of nine months:
- August 2014 – February 2015: Prairie Hills Elementary
- January 2016 – February 2016: Home School Academy
- August 2016 – October 2016: Timberview Middle School
“Unfortunately, when it’s a criminal case, there’s very little we can say it doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to the DA’s office. But what we can do is share the information that we’re allowed to do and reassure our families that we’re doing all of the right things,” said ASD20 chief communication officer Allison Cortez, according to Fox 21 News. “And even more reassurance that while this is not the news we wanted this morning, the right things happened. Somebody saw something, they heard something, they said something, and they potentially saved people’s lives. So, it worked.”
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Susan Berry, PhD, is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “William Whitworth” by DA Office of 18th.
