Mass shootings are often blamed on serious mental illness. This study assesses the role of psychosis in contributing to mass shootings along a continuum. The role of psychosis is compared with other motivations for mass shootings including employment issues, interpersonal conflict, relationship issues, hate, and fame-seeking. Perpetrators … [Read more...]
Psychosis and mass shootings: A systematic examination using publicly available data.
How ending child abuse and improving mental health care could prevent mass shootings
The Violence Project's co-founders spoke with reporters from Global News about our research into the commonalities behind mass shooters. The most prevalent commonality after gun access was childhood abuse and neglect (92% of cases). This article examines the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in April 2020, and uses Drs. Peterson and Densley's … [Read more...]
‘Horrific massacre’ Orange shooting gunman targeted four victims, but motive still a mystery
“How many more children have to die before our policymakers act?” asked James Densley, cofounder and copresident of the Violence Project. Dr. Densley commented further on the recent rapid increase in gun violence, “We made almost 30 years of gains in reductions in homicides, and in a year, we’re now at a point where we’re looking right back … [Read more...]
4 Killed, Including Child, in Mass Shooting at California Office Complex
Four people are dead, including a child, and two injured after a shooter opened fire at an office building in Orange, California. According to the Orange Police Department, authorities responded to a call at 5:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday and arrived on the scene "as shots were being fired." They observed "multiple victims at the scene … [Read more...]
A 9-Year-Old Boy Is Among 4 Killed in Southern California Shooting
ORANGE, Calif. — A gunman opened fire at a Southern California real estate office on Wednesday, killing four people, including a 9-year-old boy who the authorities said appeared to have died in his mother’s arms as she tried to shield him from the gunfire. The shooting was likely related to a “business and personal relationship which existed … [Read more...]