Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mass Shooters Don't 'Just Snap': Past Behavior Is Key To Curbing Epidemic, Experts Say
Vox: How To Stop Mass Shootings Before They Start: What Experts Say Can Help
“One of the big stereotypes, or myths we have about mass shootings in general, is that perpetrators who do this go crazy and just snap,” says Mark Follman, author of the book Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America, and an editor at Mother Jones. “That’s not the reality at all of how this works.” Mass shootings are almost never random, according to Follman. The vast majority of mass shooters don’t spontaneously decide to pull out a gun in public and start shooting. Learning to identify who’s most at risk for committing mass violence, identifying warning signs and finding ways to intervene, can save lives. (Cogan, 9/4)
AP: Teen Charged With Killing 4 At Georgia High School Had Been Focus Of Earlier Tips About Threats
More than a year ago, tips about online posts threatening a school shooting led Georgia police to interview a 13-year-old boy, but investigators didn’t have enough evidence for an arrest. On Wednesday, that boy opened fire at his high school outside Atlanta and killed four people and wounded nine, officials said. ... The sheriff’s office interviewed the then-13-year-old and his father, who said there were hunting guns in the house but the teen did not have unsupervised access to them. The teen also denied making any online threats. The sheriff’s office alerted local schools for continued monitoring of the teen, but there was no probable cause for arrest or additional action, the FBI said. (Amy, 9/5)
AP: A List Of Mass Killings In The United States This Year
It was the country’s 30th mass killing this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. At least 131 people have died this year in those killings, which are defined as incidents in which four or more people die within a 24-hour period, not including the killer — the same definition used by the FBI. Last year ended with 217 deaths from 42 mass killings in the U.S., making 2023 one of the deadliest years on record. (9/4)
Statista: U.S. Mass Shootings, By Prior Signs Of Shooter's Mental Health Issues
In 72 cases out of a total of 150 reported mass shootings in the United States since 1982, the shooter(s) displayed prior signs of mental health problems. In 17 cases out of 150, there were no signs of mental health issues in the shooters. (9/5)
Also —
AP: Trial Expected To Focus On Shooter's Competency In 2021 Colorado Supermarket Massacre
The closest thing to a possible motive in the King Soopers shooting revealed so far was when a mental health evaluator testified during a competency hearing last year that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa said he bought firearms to carry out a mass shooting and suggested that he wanted police to kill him. Alissa is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, 15 counts of attempted murder and other offenses, including having six high-capacity ammunition magazine devices banned in Colorado after previous mass shootings. (Slevin, 9/3)
