Debate Over Bullying’s Link With School Shootings Re-Emerges After Santa Fe Incident
In many mass school-shooting cases in which the accused is a student, allegations have surfaced that the shooter was bullied. But whether there is a clear link between the two issues is the subject of contention.
The Wall Street Journal:
After Santa Fe School Shooting, Texas Town Grapples With Bullying
As this grieving town searches for answers about a mass shooting by a 17-year-old student, an emotional and divisive debate has emerged over bullying at the high school where the rampage took place. The alleged shooter’s father, Antonios Pagourtzis, said his son—a quiet former football player known for wearing a trench coat to school—had faced bullying and said he believed that was part of the trigger for the May 18 attack, which left 10 dead and 13 wounded. As students return to school Tuesday for the first time after the shooting, some here say bullying has long been a problem at this rural Texas town’s lone high school, but others don’t recall the suspected shooter, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, being picked on by his peers at all. (Hobbs, Frosch and Calvert, 5/29)
In other news —
The New York Times:
In Elderly Hands, Firearms Can Be Even Deadlier
Barbara Herrington, a geriatric care manager in Polk County, Fla., was calling on a 72-year-old woman with dementia and a long history of alcoholism. Ms. Herrington knew her client would be angry that morning. Her daughter had taken the car away the day before because her mother was ignoring a neurologist’s instructions to stop driving and was heading out at night to buy liquor. (Span, 5/25)
Denver Post:
How Much Do Gunshot Wounds Cost? For The Colorado Health Care System, A New Report Provides Intriguing Insight
Colorado patients, health insurers and taxpayers spent nearly $26 million in 2016, up 50 percent in just five years, to treat injuries related to firearms, according to new data that provide a unique look at gun violence in the state. The numbers also show that health insurance claims for firearm injuries are on the rise in Colorado, more than tripling between 2012 and 2016, although a change in how injuries are documented at hospitals could also have played a role in the apparent increases. (Ingold, 5/25)
