The most common factor in mass murders is revenge.

[sufrommich]

A common factor in most mass murders, said criminologist Jack Levin of Northeastern University in Boston, is revenge.

"At the most basic level," Dr. Levin said, "the revenge is directed against family members," who are the main victims in about 30 percent of all mass killings.

"The next most likely target is the workplace, where an ex-worker who was fired or laid off comes back shooting, killing the boss and co-workers."

And finally, he said, there are mass killers who blame society in general for their problems and may walk into a mall and open fire, or target certain groups for destruction, including, occasionally, the police, because "the police are representatives of society."

Pittsburgh already had two infamous examples of mass killers who targeted certain groups, Dr. Levin said, in the twin rampages in early 2000 of Ronald Taylor, a black man who shot five white men, killing three, and Richard Baumhammers, a white man who shot six people who belonged to racial or ethnic minorities, killing five.

Besides an embittered sense of revenge, the experts said, another common thread in these killings is access to high-powered weapons, which is a particularly American phenomenon.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/experts-track-the-patterns-of-mass-murders-337604/#ixzz2F5MXB0gl

[bettyellen]

1. he was angry at his Mom, who kept custody of him in the divorce. And destroyed her beloved students.

[raccoon]

2. K&R. "...common thread in these killings is access to high-powered weapons, which is a

particularly American phenomenon."

[sufrommich]

3. Yep. nt

[gateley]

5. Rachel was mentioning other countries whose citizens have guns (Israel, Switzerland (?)) yet

they don't experience these massacres as we do. I wonder where the difference lies. Seriously.

[no1uno]

4. Mental in health not guns

Until mental illness is listed as a disease and treated as such we will continue to have horrible incidents as what has occurred today. For many many years insurance companies have paid a lessor percentage for mental health care and have put caps on how many visits a patient is permitted. People who suffer from personality disorders and other mental diseases are ostracized in our society and thought to be undesirables. Having gun control or not having gun control is NOT going to make a difference. HOWEVER some SANE SENSE needs to be brought forth here concerning gun ownership and most importantly the selling of guns. Sure many people can post what other countries do and their lower percentage on murder by guns but what sticks in my mind is how do those countries treat their citizens suffering from mental disease? Over and over again after one of these horrible incidents we read where the shooter has a "mental disorder/personality disorder." He/She will obtain a gun no matter what but he/she apparently cannot obtain the real help they need. Our medical care here in the United States is nothing more than a for-profit commodity without regard for the health of the human being. Those suffering from UNTREATED mental diseases suffer untold inner trauma and then to be shunned by others can put them over an uncontrollable edge. Those with mental disease are no different than some one with heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc!

[brentspeak]

6. He might have wanted to take revenge on his older brother, too

He stole his brother's ID, maybe so that his brother would be fingered as the killer.

[Turbineguy]

7. I think there's an obsession with power.

Starting with toy commercials where the voice over screams at little boys that if they get this certain toy they will experience power beyond their wildest desires.

Look at car commercials with roaring engines and smoking tires.

[underpants]

8. VERY interesting article - thanks for poting - I am going to add what I can

Grant Duwe, a criminologist with the Minnesota Department of Corrections who has written a history of mass murders in America, cited five:

• The killer blames others for his problems.

• He is much more likely to have a mental illness, particularly paranoid schizophrenia, than homicide perpetrators in general.

• He is often a loner, with few friends or social connections.

• He carefully plans his attacks, taking days to months to get ready.

• He is much more likely to be suicidal than a typical killer. "Because the mass murderer considers his life no longer worth living, he will either kill himself or force the police to kill him," Dr. Duwe said.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/experts-track-the-patterns-of-mass-murders-337604/#ixzz2F5TY4JfX

[underpants]

9. +

Besides an embittered sense of revenge, the experts said, another common thread in these killings is access to high-powered weapons, which is a particularly American phenomenon.



In most mass murders, family members are often the first to be killed, especially if they are in conflict with the shooter.

After hearing details of the Pittsburgh incident, he said "mom is pretty strong in that relationship, and the significant factor here seems to be that the mother was going to get him thrown out of the house, and from his perspective this was almost like capital punishment, because it appears he was so dependent on her."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/experts-track-the-patterns-of-mass-murders-337604/#ixzz2F5TzKE4y

[sufrommich]

12. Thank you for posting the this. nt

[LeftInTX]

10. I also think there is a "copy cat" phenomenon

In the past, maybe this would have been an issue between he and his mother.

[kestrel91316]

11. These people learn from society and the media that revenge is a good thing.

Where was this kid in 2001, and what did he learn then? Bomb and destroy a country that displeases you, even though it has done you no harm (Bush's war on Iraq)?

We taught him a bit too well.