Men Who Shoot Children

 In today's Washington Post, there's a story about the Texas shooter who entered an elementary school--19 children are dead.

Could you predict that the Texas shooter was at high risk?

Possibly.

The first paragraph of the WP article caught my attention.

"The gunman in Tuesday’s elementary school massacre was a lonely 18-year-old who was bullied over a childhood speech impediment, suffered from a fraught home life and lashed out violently against peers and strangers recently and over the years, friends and relatives said."

How is that helpful?

Peterson and Densley have studied mass shooters. A large number of shooters had a history of childhood trauma and most were in a state of crisis close to the time of the shooting.

Here's a quote from their book, The Violence Project.

Almost 70% of the mass shooters in schools had a history of childhood trauma

 and they killed more people than shooters who did not have trauma.

And there's something else about the Texas shooter-- leakage.

Take a look at another paragraph...

About a year ago, Ramos posted on social media photos of automatic rifles that “he would have on his wish list,” Valdez said. Four days ago, he posted images of two rifles he referred to as “my gun pics.”

From The Violence Project, we learn:

Among the young shooters (age 20 and below), 

86% had leaked their plans before the shooting.

Read on to learn about the Texas shooter's family and their crises.

Crisis is another predictor of lethal events.

80% of the mass shooters in their database

 were in a state of crisis close in time to the lethal event. 

Of course, not every young man who has the foregoing experiences will end up killing children or adults. Nevertheless, the risk factors suggest considerations.

And the young men with a troubled history deserve attention for their sake and possibly the sake of society.

I have recommended purchasing The Violence Project. 

You can read my review or those of others on AMAZON or wherever you look for book reviews.

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