Man accused of planning shooting at high school, ‘stabbing spree’ at church

A Florida man is accused of planning a shooting at a high school he graduated from in 2022 and following it up with a “stabbing spree” at a Miami church, authorities said.

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Henry Joseph Horton IV, 19, of Okeechobee, was arrested Thursday and faces a charge of written threats to kill or do harm, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office online booking records.

Deputies with the sheriff’s office uncovered Horton’s alleged plans for a mass killing at his alma mater, Okeechobee High School, according to a probable cause affidavit. Horton allegedly was planning to kill an administrator and 14 students at the high school on his 22nd birthday, which is Jan. 2, 2026.

Horton was pulled over on Sept. 18 at about 9:27 p.m. EDT in Jupiter when an officer observed that a passenger headlight on his truck was not working, WPTV reported.

Officers asked if Horton would allow a search of his vehicle and he agreed, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Officers found handwritten papers with plans to purchase guns and then “kill everyone at OHS” with them, a bong with burnt residue, and three filet knives, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Officials discovered that Horton had done “recon” at two targets in Parkland, located in neighboring Broward County, the newspaper reported. One of the sites was Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of a mass shooting on Feb. 14, 2018, that killed 17 students and staff members and injured 17 others. Horton was allegedly near the site of the school on Sept. 11, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Asked why he would attack the Parkland school, Horton allegedly replied, “for attention and fame,” according to the affidavit.

Investigators said Horton also had plans to drive to Miami to a church named “El Rey Jesus” and go on a “stabbing spree” to kill another 10 people, the affidavit stated.

Horton allegedly told officers that he wanted to execute the shootings by purchasing an M1911 handgun and an AK-47 rifle, WPTV reported.

He added that he wanted to be killed by police afterward “or he would starve himself to death,” according to the affidavit.

The officers took Horton into custody under Florida’s Baker Act, the Sun-Sentinel reported. It is a provision of state law allowing people to be held at a designated institution for up to 72 hours if they are believed to pose a threat to themselves or someone else.

The suspect’s mother, Marcie Horton, told WPBF-TV that her son is a “good kid” and would not have followed up on the alleged threats.

“It’s no excuse for what he wrote,” Marcie Horton told the television station. “I’m not saying that, but he needs help.”

Marcie Horton said her son voluntarily admitted himself to a mental hospital earlier this year when he was living with his stepmom and father in Virginia, WPBF reported. He stayed in the facility for two weeks.

“All they did was pump him full of medicine,” she told the television station.

In a note dated Sept. 15, 2023, Henry Horton said he wanted to “kill other people,” including family members.

“I want some of my family dead. I want my father to die. I want my stepmom to die as well,” Henry Horton allegedly wrote, according to the affidavit. “I’m not fine. I will perhaps never be fine again. I’ll probably be like this for the rest of my life. I don’t care. Just like I don’t care about dying before 23.”

Henry Horton’s stepmother, Alisha Horton, dismissed her stepson’s alleged threats.

“Henry isn’t going to hurt me,” Alisha Horton told WPBF. “He would never. He is having these thoughts and saying these things, but it is because there is more to what is going on with Henry.”

The suspect’s father, Henry Horton III, lives in Virginia and told WPTV that he loved his son and was sorry about his feelings.

“I love you. I’m so sorry,” the suspect’s father told WPTV. “I don’t know what to do, but I definitely love you. I’ll do everything I possibly can do to help you.”

Henry Horton IV remains in the Palm Beach County Jail, online records show. He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 6.