Echoes of Columbine

Someone who wanted to commit a school shooting didn't, what stopped him? An open letter to Colorado news reporter Kyle Clark called “I was almost a school shooter.” https://www.twincities.com/2018/02/20/watch-i-was-almost-a-school-shooter-colorado-man-says-one-act-of-kindness-saved-me/ One Parkland survivor shares her experienceexperience with trying to befriend a future school shooter... https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/opinion/nikolas-cruz-shooting-florida.html

Last updated: March 31, 2018 Date:  April 16 Year: 2007 School:  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Location:  Blacksburg State: Virginia Wounded: 23 Fatalities:  32 Shots Fired:  174/100 hits (60% fatality rate) (carried an additional 200 rounds, 17 10 - 15 round spent magazines were found at the scene) Time lapsed:  9 minutes Police response time:  3 minutes, 5 to break through chains How ended:  Suicide as police approached Civilians involved:  No Perpetrator:  Seung Hui Cho, Age:  23 Family history:  Born in South Korea, his family emigrated to the U.S. when Cho was 8. Relatives were concerned about him from a young age, because he didn't speak or make eye contact, and he was believed to be selectively mute. He was considered well behaved and obedient child, he just showed no emotion. Grandfather reports Cho never called him grandfather or embraced him as a child. ...

Date:  March 21 Year:  2005 School: Red Lake Senior High Location: Red Lake State: Minnesota Wounded: 5 Fatalities: 9 (2 home, 7 school) Shots Fired:  45 (+13 at home) Time lapsed:  9 minutes Police response time:  3 minutes (4 minute shootout with police) How ended: suicide Civilians involved: No, an unarmed security guard at the school confronted him, but he was killed. Perpetrator: Jeffrey Weise Age: 16 Family history: His father committed suicide on July 27, 1997 after a standoff with police. Mother sustained severe brain injury in an alcohol related car accident on March 5, 1999 and had to be placed in an assisted living home. His grandmother was granted custody but she died in 2003. In postings on a National Socialism forum he says he wants to be a Nazi to preserve his Native heritage, he laments the damage done by drugs and alcohol to the native people. His parents both had alcohol issues. Red flags:  Record...

Last updated: March 23, 2018 Date: Dec, 1 Year: 1997 School:  Heath High School Location:  West Paducah State: Kentucky Wounded: 5 Fatalities: 3 Shots Fired:  8 rounds, fast succession Time lapsed:  12 seconds Police response time:  Shooting ended before police arrived.  How ended: After firing 8 shots, Carneal laid the gun on the ground and sank to his knees. some reports say he was crying. The principal approached him and took him by the shoulders, shaking him asking why he'd done it. Carneal responded "I can't believe I did that, kill me please." He was taken to the office and put under guard while waiting for the police to arrive.  Civilians involved: Carneal surrendered without intervention and was taken quietly. Perpetrator:  Michael Carneal Age: 14 Family history: Red flags: Told students that "something big is going to happen on Monday" but no one took him seriously. Mental illness history:...

When studying these boys one sees a certain superiority complex over and over. On the surface it appears to be narcissism, but I do not to believe it to be so. Mass shooters often held a vision of themselves as being higher than others, some even referring to themselves as godlike. In the public writings they referenced natural selection, and a feeling of being above normal human beings. They had become so cynical about life that they saw their lack of emotion or feeling towards their fellow human beings as a sort of a gift. They had freed themselves of a conscience, but when I read their more private writings it was clear they really hadn't. Were they trying to convince us they were god, or were they trying to convince themselves? Over and over these boys wrote about being godlike. It was almost a mantra. Jeffery Weiss was self professed Native American Nazi on a white supremacy board, who professed hatred as a mantra. He turned around on supernatural board and said that he...

In almost all cases these boys felt as if they were separate from the rest of the world. They were misunderstood at home, they were teased at school. As a result they began to develop an "it's me against the world" mindset. They fail to understand that image isn't everything. They felt they had no friends. they felt they had no support, and they felt like things would never change for them. You notice that I say they "felt." In many cases it seems they were not as alone as they imagined themselves to be. After the fact many had friends or acquaintances come forward who had no idea the boy felt that isolated and alone in the world. Perception is 9/10th of our reality. They felt alienated, even when they weren't. This became their reality. Whether they were alone in life or not, these boys felt alone. In most cases, they had a severely damaged self-image. Many of them would have gone on to lead happy and successful lives. They would have gotten marri...

A common thread in most school shootings is that many of the boys responsible specifically mentioned a lack of equality in the school hierarchy. They spoke of specific incidents where the "right" kids were able to get away with serious violations of school code. If they were punished at all, they were punished lightly. In the same situation, kids who had a lesser position in the school were dealt with harshly. Specific cases were cited where harassment was brought to the attention of or even witnessed by staff, but not dealt with accordingly. If you are interested in the personal perspective of the subject, you will find a great deal of information by reading "No Easy Answers" by Brooks Brown. Brooks was a friend of one of the Columbine High School shooters, though he did not get along with the other. Brooks seems to agree that, at least as far as Columbine went, there was some reason for perceptions of favoritism within the system. There is no way to really...

When does a boy become a man? We are one of the very few societies without a rite of passage. There is no clear line between childhood and adulthood for most American youth. In most societies a boy was introduced to manhood around the age of 12 or 13. Here 18 is old enough to go to war and die for your country, but not old enough to legally drink a beer. As modern Americans our culture is one of few that does not offer a clear cut line to define where childhood ends, and where manhood begins. We have several stepping stones. Turning 13, turning 16, getting their drivers license, turning 18, going off to college, turning 21. Is it any wonder our American boys are confused? We live in a society that places a great deal of emphasis on the image of masculinity with no clear but lines on what that actually means. As far as school shooters, almost none of these boys fit into the traditional male image. They were small for their age, often thin, they were not ladies men, and in many...

Date: September 28 Year: 1988 School:  Oakland Elementary School Location:  Greenwood State: South Carolina Wounded: 9 Fatalities: 2 Shequila Bradley, age 8, died at the scene. Tequila Thomas, (no photo available) also 8, died 3 days later Shots Fired: 18? Time lapsed: Unknown Police response time: Unknown How ended: A teacher confronted him, he shot the teacher in the mount. Teacher talked him into dropping the gun and waiting. He was arrested without further incident. Civilians involved: An unarmed physical education teacher talked him into surrendering and waiting for police. Perpetrator:  James William Wilson Jr. Age: 19 Family history: Father was abusive, threatened to shoot his son to discipline him on at least one occasion. He often lived with his grandmother, who rented the movie Psycho over and over and made him watch it with her. Bullied: Yes, teased for being overweight and dressing funny. Red flags: Trouble in scho...