FLYING
FLYING AT
FLYING AT HALF STAFF. THEY ARE FLYING THERE
-- TO HONOR THE
VICTIMS OF THE LATEST
MASS SHOOTING -- THE 5
>>>
>>> TODAY
>>> TODAY YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THE FLAGS FLYING AT
HALF STAFF.
HALF STAFF. THEY ARE FLYING THERE TO HONOR
THE VICTIMS OF THE LATEST MASS
SHOOTINGS.
SHOOTINGS. THE FIVE MEN AND WOMEN KILLED
AT THE CAPITAL GAZETTE
NEWSPAPER IN MARYLAND.
>> YEAH, IT'S THE FAULT OF TWO
LITTLE GUN CONTROL OR IT IS DUE
TO A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE.
SO GUNS AREN'T THE ISSUE.
EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS, THE
POLITICS TAKES OVER AND REAL
DATA GETS LOST OR REMAINS ON
THE FRINGE.
THE FRINGE. A TEAM OF ACADEMICS HERE ON
TOWN ARE TRYING TO FILL THAT
VOID.
VOID.
VOID. OVER THE LAST YEAR THEY HAVE
COMPILED A MASS VIOLENCE DATA
BASE FROM EVERY MASS SHOOTING
IN AMERICA SINCE 1966.
THE CONCLUSIONS THEY ARE
DRAWING FROM THAT ARE IN THE
BEGINNING STAGES.
BEGINNING STAGES. BUT HEY, IT'S A START THAT HAS
NO AGENDA AS IT IS BASED AGAIN
ON DATA.
ON DATA.
ON DATA. PUTTING TOGETHER ALL OF THIS
INFORMATION ABOUT MASS
SHOOTERS, DR. JILLIAN
PETERSON, A SCIENCE PROFESSOR
AT HAMLIN AND DR. JAMES
DENSLEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF
CRIMINAL JUSTICE AT METRO
STATE.
STATE.
STATE. >>
STATE. >> THE DATA SET ITSELF GOES
BACK TO 1966.
THAT WAS THE CHARLES WHITMAN
TEXAS BELL TOWER SHOOTING,
WHICH WAS OFTEN HIGHLIGHTED AS
THE FIRST MODERN MASS SHOOTING
SORT TO SPEAK.
>> WE WERE THINKING LET'S
ACTUALLY DO A DEEPER DIVE AND
REALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT WE KNOW
AND WHAT WE DON'T KNOW.
>> SEARCHING AS MUCH AS WE
POSSIBLY CAN, PUBLICLY
AVAILABLE DATA ABOUT EACH ONE
OF THESE SHOOTINGS, TRYING TO
FILL IN THE GAPS.
>> Reporter: I SHOULD TELL YOU
RIGHT OFF, THEY HAVE NOT FOUND
ONE SINGLE WAY TO DEFINE THIS
IS WHAT A MASS SHOOTER LOOKS
LIKE.
LIKE.
LIKE. HERE'S WHY.
HERE'S WHY. >> WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW,
152 OVER A 50-PLUS YEAR PERIOD.
IN A GIVEN YEAR IN THE UNITED
STATES THAT ARE 15,000
HOMICIDES, AND SO THAT IS WHAT
MAKES IT REALLY DIFFICULT TO
SAY THIS IS THE PROFILE OF THE
MASS SHOOTER BECAUSE WE DON'T
HAVE ENOUGH CASES TO MAKE SUCH
A BOLD CLAIM AS THAT IF THAT
MAKES SENSE.
MAKES SENSE. >> Reporter: BUT THEIR DATA DID
PAINT A PICTURE ABOUT THE LIVES
OF MASS SHOOTERS.
THEY FOUND 21% OF THEM, THEY
HAVE A HISTORY OF FAMILY
VIOLENCE.
VIOLENCE.
VIOLENCE. 24% HAVE A MILITARY BACKGROUND.
THAT STANDS OUT BECAUSE ONLY 7%
OF OUR POPULATION IS ACTIVE
MILITARY OR A VETERAN.
28% OF THE SHOOTERS HAVE TRAUMA
IN THEIR PERSONAL HISTORY.
59% OF THE SHOOTERS, THEY HAVE
A MENTAL ILLNESS.
65%, THEY WERE KNOWN TO BE
SUICIDAL BEFORE THEY ATTACKED.
THAT LAST STATISTIC WAS
SIGNIFICANT TO THIS TEEN.
>> WHAT WE HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY
IS HOW THESE LOOK MORE LIKE
SORT OF ANGRY SUICIDES.
IN TERMS OF THE PROFILE.
AND THAT IT IS SUICIDE TURNED
OUTWARD AT A TARGET THAT YOU
BLAME FOR SOMETHING.
>> Reporter: THEY ARE NOT
SAYING EVERY SUICIDAL PERSON IS
A MASS SHOOTER.
>> BUT FOR MOST PEOPLE WITH
MENTAL ILLNESS.
MENTAL ILLNESS. I MEAN PEOPLE ARELESS LIKELY TO
BE VIOLENT THAN PEOPLE WITHOUT
IT.
IT.
IT. THERE
IT. THERE IS NO RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MENTAL ILLNESS AND
VIOLENCE FOR THE MAJORITY OF
THE PEOPLE.
THE PEOPLE. WHEN YOU GET IN TO MASS
SHOOTINGS, IT WILL GET COMPLEX
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR THE
DIAGNOSIS, BUT AGAIN, IT IS ONE
RISK FACTOR IN A MULTITUDE.
>> IT'S THE CLASSIC, IS IT
CORRELATION OR CAUSATION?
>> Reporter: AND SO TO GET TO
MORE DETAILED CONNECTIONS, IF
THERE ARE ANY, THE NEXT STEP
FOR THE TEAM IS ADVANCED
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, DIVING
DEEPER INTO THE SHOOTER'S LIFE,
HISTORIES, AND POSSIBLY
INTERVIEWING SOME OF THEM.
ABOUT 30 ARE LIVING IN PRISON
OR MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES.
THIS TEAM IS WRITING LETTERS TO
THEM TO SEE IF THEY WOULD SIT
DOWN AND HAVE A CHAT.
>> NOW YOU KNOW WHAT'S SO
INTERESTING ABOUT THIS, IT IS
NOT WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, BUT
HOW THEY FEEL THAT BECOMES SO
COMMON AND IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE
IN A LOT OF THOSE CASES THEY
WERE DESCRIBING, THEY HAD
BECOME HOPELESS, SUICIDAL, AND
EXPRESSED IT IN A MATTER OF
RAGE.
RAGE.
RAGE. AND
RAGE. AND IT IS ALMOST LIKE A SUICIDE
BOMBER.
BOMBER.
BOMBER. AND SOME OTHER PART OF THE
WORLD.
WORLD.
WORLD. >>
WORLD. >> THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY
ARE SAYING.
ARE SAYING. ONCE YOU DON'T VALUE LIFE AND
YOU ARE ANGRY, THINGS COULD
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. BUT AGAIN, THEY DON'T HAVE THAT
ONE THING THAT SAYS THIS WILL
BE THE TEN THINGS ON THE
CHECKLIST, THEY WILL NEVER GET
THAT BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE ONE
OF THESE CASES IS DIFFERENT AND
THERE IS SUCH A SMALL SAMPLING.
>> IT IS NICE TO SEE THE DATA
COME OUT.
COME OUT.
COME OUT. SOMEBODY IS COMPILING THE DATA,
BUT THE GOVERNMENT WAS BARRED
FROM STUDYING THIS FOR DECADES,
AM I RIGHT?
>> YOU