Authorities have obtained writings from the accused gunman from the Antioch High School shooting near Nashville, Tennessee, which have provided insights into the planning and motivation for the shooting.
The 17-year-old shooter, who is accused of killing Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, and injuring another student, wrote extensively of being "ashamed to be Black" and the influence neo-Nazi figures had on him.
But according to his own words, his biggest influence was far-right media pundit Candace Owens.
The writings included a layout diagram of the school along with photos of a gun, ammunition and other gun-related paraphernalia, and extensive details about his motivations.
The writings are full of antisemitic speech and references to the Goyim Defense League, a neo-Nazi white nationalist group that came to Nashville in the summer of 2024.
The accused shooter also wrote of what sounds like serious mental health issues, saying:
"I am a worthless subhuman, a living breathing disgrace. All my (in real life) friends outgrew me act like they didn't fâking know me. Being me was so fâking humiliating. That's why I spend all day dissociating."
But he writes that Owens was far and away his biggest role model:
"Candace Owens influenced me above all each time she spoke."
Owens is one of the far-right's prominent Black voices. An outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, she has frequently advocated against movements like Black Lives Matter and is critical of Black voters' affinity for the Democratic Party.
She was formerly one of the many stars of the Ben Shapiro-led far-right media network The Daily Wire, but parted ways with the platform in early 2024 following her antisemitic comments about a Jewish rabbi drinking "Christian blood."
She has also been criticized frequently by prominent Black pundits for her many comments denying the impacts of racism and blaming the problems faced by Black people on "Black culture."
Owens responded to the news in a post on X, in which she said that the gunman's professed affinity for her was "an obvious troll" cribbed from the manifesto of the perpetrator of the 2019 mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, which she said the gunman "plagiarized."
She went on to call out the media, of which she is a part, for using the news to "quickly score political points."
On social media, many were not surprised by Owens' alleged influence on the young gunman.
The student's writings also contained racially disparaging comments about his school, which has a majority Black and Hispanic student body, as well as praise for past school shooters.
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