The Violence Project's co-founder James Densley was a guest on KQED News this morning. He joined Michael Krasny to discuss the Santa Clarita shooting, what we know about mass shooters, and whether gathering information can prevent acts of mass violence. Listen to the full 28-minute segment here. Source: KQED … [Read more...]
Santa Clarita School Shooter Fits Profile of Other K-12 Shooters, According to New Database
Why Isn’t There Already An Algorithm to Predict School Shooters?
The Violence Project's data was featured in an article by Ira Israel about how we identify mass shooters before they start shooting. Israel highlighted the variables our database features, facts about school shooters from Dr. Jillian Peterson's Ted Talk, and the commonality of mass shooters to experience childhood trauma. "Doctors Peterson and … [Read more...]
We have studied every mass shooting since 1966. Here’s what we’ve learned about the shooters.
The key to preventing mass shootings lies in understanding what the perpetrators have in common: (1) early childhood trauma and exposure to violence at a young age; (2) an identifiable grievance or crisis point; (3) validation for their beliefs, having studied past shootings to find inspiration; and (4) the means to carry out an attack. This new … [Read more...]
Researchers: Suicidal Behavior Precedes Mass Shootings, But No Real Pattern
Hamline University hosted a presentation on mass shooters Friday night. Hamline assistant professor Dr. Jillian Peterson and Dr. James Densley from Metropolitan State University spoke about their research study. Along with a team of Hamline students, they created a database of 150 mass shooters, based on 50 life variables. “What we found … [Read more...]
Study Could Soon Bring Student Researchers Face-to-Face With Mass Shooters
Dr. Jillian Peterson and Dr. James Densley are leading a team of student researchers in studying mass shootings. A recent grant from the US Department of Justice will allow the research team to interview five living mass shooters and people from their communities. They plan to discuss their initial findings at an event on Hamline's campus. … [Read more...]