Dr. Jillian Peterson shares The Violence Project’s research on mass shootings and the four key commonalities that perpetrators have: (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 … [Read more...]
Mental Illness isn’t main driver of mass shootings, experts say
Why Many Mass Shooters Are ‘Loners’
The man accused of killing 22 people and injuring dozens more at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, this weekend was an “extreme loner” who was “picked on” for his voice and his clothes, the Los Angeles Times reported. The lonely life of the suspect, who is widely reported to be 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, reveals a troubling pathway … [Read more...]
Many campus shootings have similarities. Studying them might prevent more tragedy, researchers say.
Over the past half-century, more than 70 percent of campus shootings happened near the end of the school year. Tuesday’s shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, in which two students lost their lives, was no exception as it took place on the last day of classes. While the UNC Charlotte incident doesn’t fit the FBI’s … [Read more...]
Experts: Minnesota’s strategy on school gun attacks wrong
In order to prevent school shootings, Minnesota lawmakers direct funds and policy towards school lockdown drills and security infrastructure. The Violence Project's co-founders Jillian Peterson and James Densley believe this approach is inadequate in actually preventing school shootings. Rather than lockdown drills, Peterson argues for putting … [Read more...]
“Now I have to go back to where my friends were killed”: the hard return to school of a young Venezuelan woman after the Parkland shooting
Two weeks after the shooting that left 17 dead, students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School returned to classes on Wednesday. On the return, BBC Mundo accompanied one of the survivors. This is her account and this is the story of the first day of school after the massacre. Read the full article here. Source: BBC Mundo Author: Lioman … [Read more...]