MISSOULA — Abbot Parker, a Big Sky High School student who's charged with felony intimidation after allegedly making a threat of violence, says he was inspired by the Sandy Hook school shooter.
On Friday, February 25, 2022, the Missoula Police Department received information about a credible threat of school violence that was made on Instagram and had been intercepted by the FBI.
Police contacted the Big Sky High School principal making them aware of the threats. MPD then made contact with Parker, 18 years old, who was at school.
Parker granted police permission to search his backpack and vehicle without a warrant. The officer found 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 was the person who shot and killed 28 people on December 14, 2012, in Newton, Connecticut.
Court documents report 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 MPD made contact with him at school that day.
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 February 22, Parker said he related to Lanza due to social anxiety and isolation.
During the interview process with Missoula Police Detective Guy Baker, Parker admitted he had taken and then posted the photo of himself brandishing the previously mentioned 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 Detective Baker asked Parker if he ever planned or intended to kill anyone, Parker denied it.
Parker is at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula for evaluation. The state is requesting the court issue a warrant in the amount of $250,000 to ensure community safety and provide adequate time to develop a comprehensive release plan that will address the mental health issues at play.
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