Why labeling mass shooters as "monsters" could hurt efforts to stop them

This week connected 60 Minutes, analogous Sharyn Alfonsi examines a question that is progressively being tested successful American courtrooms: When a kid carries retired a wide schoolhouse shooting, should a genitor beryllium held criminally responsible?

That question has been unfolding astir precocious successful Barrow County, Georgia, wherever prosecutors person charged Colin Gray, the begetter of a 14-year-old accused of sidesplitting 4 radical astatine Apalachee High School successful 2024. Prosecutors allege that Gray ignored informing signs astir his son's intelligence wellness and purchased the AR-style firearm utilized successful the attack.

The Georgia lawsuit follows different landmark prosecution successful Michigan, wherever the parents of the shooter astatine Oxford High School were convicted successful 2024 and sentenced to astatine slightest 10 years successful prison. It marked 1 of the archetypal times parents were held criminally liable for their child's relation successful a deadly schoolhouse shooting.

In some cases, investigators accidental determination were wide informing signs earlier the unit — and that firearms were made accessible by parents.

A signifier of despair

Criminologists James Densley and Jillian Peterson person spent the past decennary studying hundreds of wide shootings. They are co-founders of The Violence Prevention Project, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that researches wide unit and pathways to prevention.

"These are not young radical who are transgression masterminds," Densley told 60 Minutes. "These are crimes that are rooted successful despair."

Through interviews with wide shooters and radical who knew them, Densley and Peterson accidental they've identified recurring patterns: aboriginal trauma, maltreatment successful the home, chronic bullying, and casual entree to firearms. Many shooters, they say, were besides influenced by online communities that reinforced convulsive thinking.

"These things commencement to overwhelm that young person's character," Densley said.

The "monster" myth

Peterson argues that 1 obstacle to prevention is that nine views perpetrators arsenic "monsters."

"If you spot it that way, there's truly thing we tin do," she said. Framing shooters arsenic monsters, she argues, pushes communities toward hardened schools and active-shooter drills arsenic superior solutions, alternatively than earlier intervention.

But, she says, the emblematic shooter does not look outwardly monstrous. He whitethorn beryllium "the kid sitting adjacent to you successful class" — idiosyncratic who is struggling, suicidal, oregon immersed successful harmful online spaces.

By dismissing shooters arsenic incomprehensible villains, Peterson says, families and communities whitethorn miss informing signs successful the young radical astir them.

In interviews with perpetrators, she consistently asked whether anyone could person stopped them.

"Every idiosyncratic we talked to said yes," Peterson said. "One of them adjacent said, 'I deliberation anyone could person stopped me.'"

Prevention — and responsibility

The researchers accidental prevention indispensable commencement early: trauma screening successful childhood, situation involution successful schools, expanded school-based intelligence wellness services, and stronger termination prevention efforts.

"If you privation to live, you're not going to bash this," Peterson said, emphasizing that galore wide shooters are besides suicidal.

They besides constituent to the relation of online spaces wherever immoderate young men find reinforcement for convulsive ideation — raising questions astir the work of societal media companies.

As for transgression charges against parents, Peterson believes they whitethorn go much common.

"When a 15-year-old does thing similar this, they don't beryllium successful a vacuum," she said. "They person radical who are successful complaint of them."

Photos and footage courtesy of Storyful, Getty Images and AP.

In:

• School Shooting