MISSOULA — A Big Sky High School student who is charged with felony intimidation for an alleged threat of violence says he was inspired by the Sandy Hook school shooter.
According to charging documents, on Feb. 25, Missoula police received information about a credible threat of school violence that was made on Instagram and had been intercepted by the FBI.
Missoula police contacted the Big Sky High School principal making them aware of the threats. Police then made contact with Abbot Parker, 18, who was at school.
Parker granted Missoula police permission to search his backpack and vehicle without a warrant. The officer located two notebooks and a crumpled piece of paper that referenced the recent arrest of four people on the anniversary of the Columbine shooting.
In the online conversations, Parker used the handle "adamsrottenflesh." A person in a conversation with Parker asked if he is inspired by mass shooters, in which Parker replied: "Yeah, mainly Adam Lanza."
Lanza is the Sandy Hook school shooter who killed 28 people on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newton, Conn.
Charging documents state Parker appeared to have an obsession with Lanza, purchasing the same shoes as Lanza and bragged about it, saying "copped the same shoes as Adam."
Police say Parker was wearing those shoes when officers made contact with him at school that day.
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Parker's online comments discussed how he has access to his father's firearm, but his father didn't know. In a post with another user on Feb. 22, Parker said he related to Lanza due to social anxiety and isolation.
During the interview process with police Det. Guy Baker, Parker admitted he had taken and then posted the photo of himself brandishing a firearm on his Instagram account.
Parker admitted that during the time he wrote those statements and possessed the firearm, he was having homicidal and suicidal intentions. However, Parker denied that he had taken the firearm outside his residence or pointed it to anyone. When Baker asked Parker if he ever planned or intended to kill anyone, Parker denied it.
Parker was admitted to St. Patrick Hospital for evaluation.
Click here to view the court documents associated with the case.
