(NewsNation) — Social media accounts linked to a Nashville, Tennessee, high school shooting suspect and a suspected Madison, Wisconsin, school shooter may have been in contact, according to reports.
Solomon Henderson, a Black 17-year-old student at Antioch High School, allegedly shot and killed Josselin Corea Escalante, who was 16 and Hispanic, in the school’s cafeteria Wednesday, then turned the gun on himself.
Authorities said a motive is not known, but according to sources, Henderson left a body of data online and on social media. Additionally, he may have had a connection with Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, who allegedly killed a fellow student and a teacher, last month at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.
Is there any evidence that the shooter in Wisconsin and this week’s shooter in Nashville were friends?
Officials said Henderson’s social media presence included calls for violence, praise of past school shooters and racist, neo-Nazi, and white supremacist beliefs.
A Pinterest account linked to Henderson features photos of past school shooters, including the shooters from Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas, a source told ABC News.
Metro Nashville Police said detectives found documents they believe Henderson wrote on what they call “non-traditional websites,” and said he was “significantly influenced by web-based materials.”
Law enforcement sources suggest Rupnow’s account may have followed Henderson’s during the Wisconsin shooting in December, according to ABC News.
Authorities are also investigating a BlueSky account possibly linked to Henderson, which featured an edited image of Rupnow and a post discussing plans for the shooting with another person, per the outlet.
Rupnow’s social media showed interest in neo-Nazi ideology, mass shooters and incidents linked to the Columbine and Parkland school shootings.
CBS News reports that sources close to the investigation said authorities found evidence that Henderson and Rupnow were following each other’s social media accounts. However, there isn’t any evidence that the two suspects were in direct contact or communication with each other.
Police said Henderson was active online, posting photos on social media before he entered the cafeteria and started shooting around 11 a.m. local time. They said he also appeared to have livestreamed part of the attack.
TN mom: Put metal detectors in schools
Many Nashville parents are questioning school district officials about why new technology that uses the school’s cameras and AI capabilities to detect weapons didn’t trigger a warning on Wednesday. Some parents emphasize it’s time to have metal detectors in every school.
“I know metal detectors are expensive but we have thousands and thousands of kids who attend these schools. There are plenty of ways you can do it. They’re putting them everywhere else. They have them in courthouses. They have them in stadiums,” said Athrea Shlemon, a Metro Nashville Public Schools parent.
The lack of metal detectors has also been brought into focus, and while Superintendent Adrienne Battle has said there are pros and cons to metal detectors, she said nothing is off the table.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.