William Whitworth, 19, arrested for allegedly planning mass shooting at Colorado school

Colorado authorities thwarted a possible middle school shooting after they arrested a former student who was allegedly planning a massacre inside the building.   

William Whitworth, who prosecutors say identifies as Lilly, was taken into custody by the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office on March 31 after it was discovered the 19-year-old had floor plans to Timberview Middle School and allegedly admitted to wanting to shoot up the school, according to an arrest affidavit obtained and reported on by local outlets.

Whitworth was originally paid a visit by deputies when the suspect’s sister called authorities to alert them she was lashing out and made school shooting references, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported, citing the affidavit.

While the affidavit lists Whitworth as a male, the sister called her “Lily” and called the suspect her sister, the newspaper reported.

A spokesperson for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office told the Gazette that Whitworth was in the process of transitioning to a woman.

The planned school shooting was allegedly in the works for “a month or two,” Whitworth told sheriff investigators, and she was “about a third of the way from doing it,” the affidavit states, according to Fox 21.

Part of the alleged plan also included listing firearms and how to 3D print them and writing out a manifesto, the television station reported.

The manifesto reportedly had the names of mass shooters and political commentators.

Whitworth had a list of people “to be killed” in a notebook, the Gazette reported.

While the middle school was her “main target,” Prairie Hill Elementary and Pine Creek High School were also potential targets, all part of the Academy School District 20, according to the affidavit.

Whitworth was only at three District 20 schools, including Prairie Hills and Timberview, for about nine months combined, according to reports.

She is facing two counts of first-degree criminal attempt to commit murder, criminal mischief, menacing and interference with educational institutions, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

Bond was set at $75,000 with a hearing set for May 5.

Before the arrest, deputies found Whitworth in bed and drunk, surrounded by trash and several holes in the bedroom she was taken into custody, the Gazette reported.

Authorities additionally found instructions on how to build homemade bombs inside her room. 

No firearms were found in the suspect’s home, the Gazette reported.