Dr. Poland has been a responder to 13 different school shootings, including two in California. He is very dedicated to prevention and identifying the lessons that have been learned from school shootings. This webinar provides invaluable insight on these topics: ◦Prior concerning behaviors of the shooters and their mental health ◦Prior knowledge that some peers had of the attacks ◦A look at thought processes and motivations of school shooters ◦Identify the warning signs that were missed by parents, school and community personnel in previous school shootings ◦Understand the types of school shooters and learn strategies to prevent future shootings
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The Minds of School Shooters: Implications for Prevention
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The Minds of School Shooters: Implications for Prevention
Dr. Scott PolandCo-Director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention OfficeNova Southeastern University
Presented by:
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USA Today Cover Story 3/1/12
• Chardon High School in Ohio 3 killed and 2 wounded
• What do we know about school shooters and are they average kids?
• Is it appropriate to place a picture of a school shooter on the cover of a national publication?
• What have we learned for prevention of future tragedies?
He Was Just an Average 17 Year Old Kid
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Why Kids Kill by Peter LangmanPalgrave Macmillan (2009)
• Based on his study of 10 school shooters that killed 74 and wounded 92
• Rampage acts best understood as a result of their personalities and life history
• Hypothesized there are three types of shooters
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Types of Shooters
• Psychopathic—narcissistic without a conscience—aspiring to be godlike—paranoid, sadistic with antisocial personality traits
• Psychotic—avoidant, schizotypal and dependent personality traits—paranoid delusions, auditory hallucinations—depressed and full of rage
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Columbine
Thirteen Murdered and Twenty-four Injured
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Eric Harris: Psychopath
• “I will rig up explosives all over town and detonate each one of them at will after I mow down a whole f*ing area full of you snotty as* rich mother f*ing high strung godlike attitude having worthless pieces of sh* whores.”
• “I don’t care if I live or die in the shootout, all I want to do is kill and injure as many of you pricks as I can!”
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Eric Harris
• “If we have figured out the art of time bombs before hand, we will set hundreds of them around houses, roads, bridges, buildings and gas stations.”
• “it’ll be like the LA riots, the oklahoma bombing, WWII, vietnam, duke and doom all mixed together. Maybe we will even start a little rebellion or revolution to f* things up as much as we can. I want to leave a lasting impression on the world.”
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Eric Harris
• “God I cant wait till they die. I can taste the blood now.”
• “If it moves kill it, if it doesn’t burn it. kein mitleid!!!”
• “Kill them all. Well in case you haven’t figured it out yet I say, ‘KILL MANKIND.’”
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Eric Harris
• Accomplished liar• Knew how to say what adults wanted to hear and
his Juvenile Diversion program was ended early• School projects and violent comments should
have prompted extreme concern
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Heath High School
• Student opened fire on prayer group killing 3 and wounding 5
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Michael Carneal: Perpetrator
• Example of psychotic type• Many examples of paranoid behavior , delusions and
hallucinations• Pleaded guilty in adult court but later asked for a new trial
based on his mental illness• He cited that he saw, smelled and tasted things that were
not there. His lawyers argued that it took years for medication to reduce his psychotic symptoms
• Had talked for over a year about shooting up the school, showed students a gun prior to the shooting and warned students not to be at school
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Third Type
• Traumatized Shooters—suffered emotional and physical abuse at home—were sexually abused—lived with ongoing stress and losses—parents had substance abuse problems--frequent moves—lost parent to separation, jail and death—trauma history resulted in suicidal thoughts
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Red Lake High School:
Red Lake Net News, 2005
Student kills 9 then himself
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Family/Trauma History of Jeff WeiseRed Lake Perpetrator
• Parents separated when young• Lived with mom and her boyfriend• Severely disciplined (locked in closet)• Father died by suicide when Jeff was 8 (standoff
with tribal police)• Mother in car accident suffered brain injury and
in nursing home• Moved frequently
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Weise History
• Bullied and harassed at school• Black-garbed loner• Described as “floating alone”• Introvert at school• Outspoken on internet• Posted often on neo-Nazi web-site• Created violent animated story on internet about
school shootings and suicide
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Weise History Continued
• Posted entries against racial mixing• 2003-2004 told other Red Lake students he was going
to shoot up school and was questioned and released by police
• 2004-2005 – stopped attending school twice due to depression and harassment– Expelled for unspecified reasons– Suicide attempt summer-2004– Under psychiatrist’s care– Prozac doubled 2/05– Viewed film “Elephant” frequently in days before shooting
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Posting from the shooter
“Most people have never dealt with people who have faced the kind of pain that makes you physically sick at times, makes you so depressed you can’t function, makes you so sad and overwhelmed with grief that eating a bullet or sticking your head in a noose seems welcoming.” Jeff Weise
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Federal Report on Red Lake Shooting Found:
• 39 students knew of his violent plans• 5 students communicated via internet with the
perpetrator about the planned violence daily• 8 teens were part of the Elephant Group that
watched the movie repeatedly
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Prior Knowledge of School Violence Study
• 81% of time at least one person had prior knowledge of planned attack and 59% of time more than one person had knowledge
• Only 4% with prior knowledge tried to dissuade the attacker
• Many with prior knowledge did not believe it could happen
• School connections effected whether or not adults were told (examples)
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Classroom Avengers
• J. McGee and C. DeBernado reviewed 16 school shootings no profile but there are common factors: All were male
• Most shootings were in small towns and suburbs in the south and west
• Family relationships were often dysfunctional• Perpetrators were proficient with guns and most guns came
from their own homes• Many were immature, introverted loners who lacked empathy
for others• Many had rigid all or nothing thinking with depressed mood that
was not evident to others as they rarely complained of sadness
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Classroom Avengers
• Primary motives were vengeance and notoriety• Prior to shootings there were precipating events such as loss,
arguments, rejection, humiliation or discipline incidents• Presented as secluded, sullen, angry and irritable• Attacks were planned and calculated• Menninger Triad elements were all present: wish to die, wish to
kill and wish to be killed• Prolific journal writing, computer postings or videotapes spelled
out their violent plans• Frequently threatened or boasted to others about the planned
violence
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Violence Key Points
• Increase in violent incidents around the world intended to kill 2 or more people
• Warning signs in violent fantasies, mental illness, distorted sense of what is just and severe interpersonal conflicts
• Signs of trouble include aggression, interest in obtaining guns, collecting posters of school shooters and being a social loner
• Mass murderers are almost always suicidal• 11th commandment for gun owners: Lock guns away from
disturbed and mentally ill individuals
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Suggestions to Prevent School Shootings
• Limit adolescent privacy• Don’t lie to protect your child• Follow through with due process• Pay attention to what the schools says and seek
help• Eliminate easy access to guns• Take threats seriously
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More Suggestions
• Recognize anyone can stop a school shooting• Recognize rehearsal and planning of attacks• Physical security alone is not the answer• Implement suicide and bullying prevention
programs• Good communication and positive culture
important at school• Implement anonymous tip lines
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More Suggestions
• Limit media violence exposure • Arm teachers not with guns but with mental
health support services and smaller classes• Limit access to school buildings and implement
meet and greet procedures• Increase student participation in school safety
and utilize pledges and surveys
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More Suggestions
• Increase mental health services at school and in the community
• Physical security alone is not the answer• The 4th R is relationships and it is important to
know all students well and to have all students connected to their school
• The school should be place that students like and do not want to blow up!
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Question….
“My child is fascinated by violent video games and plays them for hours….should I be worried?”
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Safe School Initiative
• Report on the Prevention of Targeted Violence in Schools
• U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center
• Departments of Education and Justice
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Secret Service Report: Preliminary Findings
• Incidents of targeted violence at school are rarely impulsive and are typically the end result of an understandable and discernible process.
• Prior to most incidents, the attacker told someone about his idea or plan but did not threaten the target directly.
• There is no accurate or useful profile for “the school shooter.”
• Positive connections at school are preventative
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Secret Service Report: Preliminary Findings
• Most attackers had previously used guns and had access to them.
• Most shooting incidents were not resolved by law enforcement intervention.
• In many cases, other students were involved in some capacity.
• One half the attackers had more than one target
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Secret Service Report: Preliminary Findings
• In majority of cases, having been bullied played a key role in the attack.
• Most attackers engaged in some behavior, prior to the incident, that caused others concern or indicated a need for help.
• The majority of perpetrators were suicidal
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“We must reach out to the unreachable!”Craig ScottColumbine Survivor
Keys to prevention are getting disillusioned youth involved in activities, finding a job and establishing social ties!
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Questions?
Disclaimer– Keenan & Associates is an insurance brokerage and consulting firm. It is not a law firm or an accounting firm. We do not give legal advice or tax advice and neither this presentation, the answers provided during the Question and Answer period, nor the documents accompanying this presentation constitutes or should be construed as legal or tax advice. You are advised to follow up with your own legal counsel and/or tax advisor to discuss how this information affects you.
