(The Lion) — Two seemingly unrelated school shootings happened within six weeks of each other at the turn of the year.

Indeed, one shooter targeted a Christian school in Wisconsin, the other a public high school in Tennessee. But after examining the online footprints of the respective shooters, the Anti-Defamation League found frightening similarities.

It turns out the shooters, Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old white female, and Solomon Henderson, a 17-year-old black male, had “strikingly similar online footprints.”

In December 2024, Rupnow killed two people and injured six others at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison before taking her own life. Her father was later charged with multiple felonies for allegedly giving his daughter access to firearms.

Then in January, Henderson, who had openly praised Rupnow after her death, also killed a student and injured another before committing suicide at Antioch High School in Nashville.

Rupnow engaged with white supremacist accounts, extremist TikTok videos and accounts affiliated with 764 – considered an online terrorist network that exploits minors. She also posted messages threatening violence, particularly toward African Americans.

Similarly, Henderson engaged with forums involving involuntary celibacy (incel) – for those who wish to be romantically or sexually active but can’t find a partner – and those associated with neo-Nazi groups, white supremacy and pagan imagery.

Even more chilling, both made accounts on a website called WatchPeopleDie in June 2023, roughly 18 months before their acts of violence.

The website requires users to verify they are 18 years or older and presents this warning:

“[This website] is exactly what it says in the name. This is not a pleasant website, the content is tragic things happening to real people, with no filters. This is horrific to see and frankly should not be seen by anyone. It is, however, legal and we believe in allowing it to be seen and shared by adults as a result.”

Neither Rupnow nor Henderson were 18 years old when they made accounts on the gore site.

ADL maintains the perverse incentives of social media are partly to blame for the radicalization of struggling youth.

“The choices made by vulnerable individuals are often manipulated by the social reward structures of digital platforms, as well as constant encouragement from extremist influencers,” it explains.

“Henderson and Rupnow were immersed in communities which glorified extremist killers, normalizing their own violent urges.”

ADL Senior Vice President of Counter-Extremism and Intelligence Oren Segal argues robust safeguards are necessary to protect children from heinous internet activity.

“Extremism, hate, and violent gore are just a click away for many children, making it urgent for schools and parents to implement safeguards,” Segal said. “These toxic online spaces can cause devastating harm in our communities and are increasingly becoming central to the broader violent extremist landscape.”

As an ADL slide show about Rupnow and Henderson’s online footprints puts it:

“Effective prevention demands collaboration between schools, mental health services and platform safety teams to disrupt the social feedback loops that fast-track the downward spiral into extremism & violence.”