The Columbine Cult Lives On: Evergreen Shooter’s Incel and Extremist Ties

It sucks being right when I know it just means more of this will continue.

Anyway, authorities now admit that Desmond Holly, the 16-year-old who opened fire at Evergreen High School, wasn’t just dabbling in generic extremism. He was steeped in Columbiner culture and the so-called True Crime Community, those twisted corners of the internet where school shooters are idolized and mythologized. That’s exactly what I said from the start. The Columbine cult of personality is alive, well, and still claiming lives more than twenty-five years later.

In the hours before the shooting, Holly posted pictures of a revolver and a box of ammunition on Twitter. He had posted the same picture a few days earlier, bragging that it was his “little .38 special.” That’s the same weapon he used inside the school, reloading and firing again and again as terrified students ran for their lives. What we still don’t know is how a 16-year-old managed to get his hands on that revolver in the first place. If it had come from a family member’s closet or nightstand, I feel like that detail would have leaked by now. It makes me wonder if he slipped through what’s commonly called the gun show loophole.

For those unfamiliar, the “gun show loophole” refers to the exemption in federal law that allows private sellers, unlike licensed gun dealers, to sell firearms without conducting background checks. While many states have taken steps to close that gap, others haven’t, leaving an opening for underage buyers or prohibited persons to pick up a gun with little more than cash and a handshake. It’s a flaw in the system that’s been debated for decades, and tragedies like this keep it in the spotlight.

Holly’s online persona painted a clear picture of where his head was at. His profile photo was Elliot Rodger, the self-styled “incel” who murdered six people in Isla Vista, California, in 2014. Incels, short for “involuntary celibates,” are part of a misogynistic subculture that frames women as enemies and celebrates violence against them. Whether Holly identified as an incel himself or simply admired Rodger as part of his overall obsession with mass murderers is open to interpretation, but the signal is there.

Then there’s his activity on one of the darkest corners of the internet, a gore forum where users share violent videos and bond over death. Holly wasn’t just a lurker; he commented on past shootings, modeled gear, and even hinted that he was preparing to stage an attack of his own. He was egged on by other members, with people encouraging him to finish assembling his setup and even suggesting he film his actions. It’s the same website where both the Antioch High School shooter and the Abundant Life Christian School shooter had been active. So far there’s no indication Holly directly interacted with them, but the fact that three separate teenage school shooters in less than a year were on the same forum should be alarming in itself.

Layered on top of all this is Holly’s dive into neo-Nazi ideology. His usernames referenced the “14 words,” his posts denied the Holocaust, and he adorned his gear with Nazi symbols. This wasn’t just edgy cosplay; this was a kid steeped in hate, drawing inspiration from white supremacist terrorists and the school shooters he idolized.

I honestly thought Columbiners would have faded into obscurity by now. That their online shrines to Harris and Klebold would look outdated in an era where most kids barely know what LiveJournal was. Yet here we are, watching them find new life on TikTok and gore forums, bolstered by a political climate where hate, discrimination, and white persecution complex are treated as acceptable talking points. Combine that with how easily kids are still getting their hands on guns, and it’s a recipe for disaster that just keeps repeating itself.

(Sources)