Echoes of Columbine

According to the Secret Service study, 71% of school shooters reported feeling "persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked or injured by others," with some of the bullying classified as "long-standing and severe." Many of those who committed school shootings also targeted females to a large degree. Some were girls that did not return their affections, many whom they described as snotty and stuck-up. Columbine shooters journal entries specifically called some of these girls "Christian snobs." Real or not, it seems they felt rejected by these girls for one reason or another - socially, romantically, and even religiously. The Columbine school shooters planned what they considered their revenge for two years. They had started with desired "kill lists" but most of the people on the list had graduated the year before. It's clear that these boys did not "just snap." Their rage did not weaken or dissipate, and they continued with the...

Why a Recipe? There are so many questions after a mass shootings, most remain unanswered. It is easy to get lost trying to wrap your head around the where, and the who, and the whys of such a deep tragedy. What could go so wrong in a persons life that they would choose to kill random people for no reason? Everybody wants to find that one thing that has the power to stop this cycle, but it isn't that simple. When you make a cake, you don't just get out a the sugar. Likewise if you leave a bowl of flour and milk on the counter you will end up with a cake no longer how long you wait. A few cups of flour, some sugar, eggs, milk, butter, and a little bit of baking powder are the basic ingredients. Then, after some heat is applied and some chemical reactions take place if all goes right, you will be having dessert. There are many different kinds of cake, each with their own unique recipe. Most cakes do have similar base ingredients though, and when you think about it so d...

School children being treated for injuries after 29 were wounded and 6 were killed in Stockton, CA. 1989 AP Photo/Stockton Record, File Date: January 17 Year: 1989 School: Cleveland Elementary School Location: Stockton State: California Wounded: 29 Fatalities: 6 Shots Fired: 106 Time lapsed: 3 minutes Police response time: N/A How ended: Suicide (before police arrived) Civilians involved: Shooter died before police were on the scene. Perpetrator:  Patrick Purdy Age:  24 Family history: Father was in the military, mother and father divorced when Purdy was a toddler after father threatened mother with weapon. Mother remarried, and neighbors report obvious signs of abuse and neglect through his and his siblings childhoods. It was said the children would be locked out of the house with no coats on, no supervision or guidance. He They moved frequently, and Purdy developed a reputation with the law at a very young age. Child p...

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...

A shooter who was also a survivor of the mass suicide at Jonestown... so many missed signals.  Date: February 24 Year: 1984 School:  49th Street Elementary School Location:  Los Angeles State: California Wounded: 12 Fatalities: 2 Shots Fired:  39 AR-15/18 Shotguns (1 in 4.07 ratio) Time lapsed: 10 Police response time: 17,  How ended: After a 3 and a half hour standoff, after tear gas was deployed by police, house was raided, shooter was found dead of an apparent suicide.  Civilians involved: None known Perpetrator:  Tyrone Mitchell Age: 28 Family history:  Childhood history is scant, but it was reported that he had issues with anger even as a child. In school he was a popular student, active in sports. His childhood home had been torn down to make room for an addition to the school. He lived across the street from the school at the time. 5 1/2 years prior to the shooting, his family had joined the P...

One of the first school shooters was a female, when asked why, she replied “I don’t like Mondays,” she said. “This livens up the day.” Date: January 29 Year: 1979 School: Cleveland Elementary School Location: San Diego State: California Wounded: 9 Fatalities: 2 Shots fired: 36 (3.2 ratio) Shooting Time lapsed: Approx 20 min. Police response time: Approx 20 min. How ended: Police were able to block her line of fire using a garbage truck, after a 6 and 1/2 hour standoff the female shooter surrendered.  Civilians involved: None known. Ended by police intervention. Perpetrator: Brenda Spencer Age: 16 Family history: Mother & father divorced for 7 years. Lived with father in house littered with alcohol bottles. They shared a single mattress on the floor. Reported father to be physically and sexually abusive. After the shooting, father impregnated a former cell mate of his daughter (also a juvenile). Reported to be withdrawn and lacking ...

Onlookers hide behind low walls. Source: National Teachers Hall of Fame The Olean High School Shooting Date:  December 30 Year:  1974 School:  Olean High School Location: Olean State: New York Wounded: 11 Fatalities: 3 (plus one unborn child) This shooting is not currently included in our research data because information on it is far too limited. If anyone can help fill in the "unknowns" it would be most helpful.  Shots Fired:  33 Time lapsed: 90 Police response time: 20 How ended: Taken by police after 2 1/2 hour siege. Shooter was arrested and held for trial. He committed suicide while in jail. Civilians involved: Unknown Perpetrator:  Anthony Barbaro Age: 17 Family history: Unknown Red flags:  Told a friend he wanted to hold up the Olean Armory and engage in a police standoff. Also told friend, "How funny it must feel to be a sniper holding off people." Mental illness history:  None known Drug or medicati...