“Importance: Understanding the motivation of a mass shooter’s intent to do harm can help practitioners and policy makers develop more effective intervention strategies.
Objective: To examine the prevalence of communication of intent to do harm, known as leakage, in a sample of 170 mass public shooters from 1966 to 2019; the characteristics of perpetrators who do and do not leak their plans; and whether leakage is a form of fame-seeking behavior or a cry for help among individuals who are in crisis or suicidal.”
This research article by Dr. Jillian Peterson, Dr. Gina Erickson, Kyle Knapp, and Dr. James Densley explores the main question, “What factors are associated with a mass shooting perpetrator’s decision to communicate their intent to do harm?” Findings show that leakage is a key moment for intervention to prevent gun violence.
Authors: Dr. Jillian Peterson, Dr. Gina Erickson, Kyle Knapp, and Dr. James Densley
Source: JAMA Network