Warning Signs Ignored in Deadly Georgia High School Shooting

Warning Signs Overlooked

Most school shootings don’t happen out of the blue – there are often warning signs. A year before a 14-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly opening fire in his high school math class in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024, authorities visited his home to investigate several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting.

When they interviewed the boy, who was 13 at the time, he denied making the threats. His father told police there were hunting guns in the house but that the boy didn’t have “unsupervised access” to the weapons.

The Challenge of Preventing School Shootings

In our research, we’ve collected dozens of similar stories that typify one of the biggest challenges that schools face when it comes to averting school shootings: recognizing and acting upon warning signs that school shooters almost always give well before they open fire.

Data on School Shootings

In our database of U.S. mass shootings since 1966, there have been 15 shootings at K-12 schools. Seven of those school shootings occurred in the past decade, including the second and third deadliest on record: Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.

What We Know About Mass School Shooters

When the Columbine High School massacre took place in 1999, it was seen as a watershed moment in the United States. Twenty-five years later, it ranks fourth.

Despite the billions of dollars invested in school safety since Columbine, school shootings have become more frequent and more deadly. Beyond the mass shootings that grab the headlines, a gun goes off in an American school almost every day.

Our research and dozens of interviews with school shooting perpetrators, survivors, and first responders suggest that part of the problem is law enforcement and school officials. Influenced by myths and misinformation about Columbine, they still don’t know enough about mass school shooting trends to recognize the warning signs.

The Warning Signs Are There

The majority of mass school shootings were carried out by a lone gunman, with just two – Columbine and the 1998 shooting at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas – carried out by two gunmen.

The choice of “gunmen” to describe the perpetrators is accurate – all but one of the mass school shootings in our database were carried out by men or boys. The average age of those involved in carrying out the attacks was 18 – the youngest was 11 and the oldest was 32.

After every school shooting, people say “we never thought something like this could happen in our community.” However, mass school shootings happen most frequently in small suburban or rural communities like Winder, Georgia. There, the suspect is a 14-year-old student at the school. This is unsurprising. Most school shooters have a connection to the school they target. In our database, we found that 15 of the 17 school shooters were either current or former students.

Preventing the Next School Shooting

In our research, we’ve found that the majority of school mass shooters are driven by despair and generalized anger; over 80% of school mass shooters showed signs of a crisis before the shooting, including depression, mood swings, agitation, isolation, trouble with daily tasks, and other noticeable behavior changes.

Most importantly, over 90% leaked their plans ahead of time to others, preempting their attacks by leaving posts, messages, or videos warning of their intent. School shooters communicate their intent to do harm in advance as a final, desperate cry for help.

The key to stopping these tragedies is being alert to these warning signs and acting on them immediately. Even if investigators don’t have enough evidence for an arrest, they can continually monitor students and help connect them to school- or community-based services or interventions, including peer-mentoring or mental health treatment. Simply criminalizing or punishing threats increases the risk for violence by worsening grievances with the school.

Conclusion

Preventing school shootings requires a multifaceted approach that involves recognizing warning signs, acting on them immediately, and providing support to students who may be struggling. By working together, we can create a safer and more supportive learning environment for all students.

FAQs

Q: What are the warning signs of a potential school shooter?
A: Warning signs can include changes in behavior, such as depression, mood swings, agitation, isolation, and trouble with daily tasks.

Q: How many school shootings have occurred in the United States since 1966?
A: According to our database, there have been 15 shootings at K-12 schools in the United States since 1966.

Q: What percentage of school shooters leak their plans ahead of time?
A: According to our research, over 90% of school mass shooters leaked their plans ahead of time to others, preempting their attacks by leaving posts, messages, or videos warning of their intent.

Q: What can parents do to help prevent school shootings?
A: Parents can keep guns secure by storing them separately from their ammunition, locking and unloaded, and taking responsibility for adult gun ownership. They can also keep an eye out for changes in their child’s behavior and report any concerns to school authorities.