NCJ Number
193589
Date Published
2001
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reviews a number of contemporary incidents of shootings at schools, identifies some common characteristics of the juvenile perpetrators, and highlights the circumstance in which juvenile perpetrators intended to end the event by forcing police to kill them in a deadly confrontation precipitated by the juvenile.
Abstract
The article begins with a brief profiling of five school shootings about which there is little published information. This is followed by descriptions of each of 11 juveniles involved in the school shootings, about which there is significant information available. Some of the common characteristics of the shooters were age 11-18, male, caucasian, above-average intelligence, a loner or member of a fringe group, intent on revenge against those perceived as persecutors, expressed prior threats of violence, intolerant of those different from himself, excessive interest in weapons and violent material, cruelty to animals, and a triggering event. The author advises that when police officers arrive at the scene of a school shooting, they should immediately determine the number of perpetrators and whether any or all are still alive and unrestrained. If a perpetrator is still alive, there is a significant risk that he is likely to engage officers with deadly force, both to attempt to kill the officer and to become the intended victim of police deadly force. Police departments should develop a tactical plan for such scenarios that will reduce the likelihood of these fatal confrontations; however, the killing of the perpetrator may be unavoidable if it is necessary to protect students, staff, and police from a deadly threat. Police training, policies, and resources should also focus on prevention and the early identification of at-risk juveniles, because the analyses of school shooting incidents have revealed early warning signs of the potential for violence by the perpetrators.