In past year, mass killers in U.S. all had one thing in common
The past year was rife with mass shootings and attacks — each incident perpetrated by men with a lot more in common than just their gender.
The Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, in a study released Thursday, examined all 28 mass attacks between January and December 2017. At least three people were injured in each incident.
Every act of violence was carried out by a man who “experienced at least one significant stressor within the last five years,” according to the report.
Such stressors include family and romantic relationship problems, personal issues, difficult school and work environment, and previous contact with law enforcement that did not result in an arrest or charges.
About half of the attackers, around 54 percent, had a history of drug or substances abuse, and 20 of them — about 71 percent — had histories of criminal charges beyond minor traffic violations.
Nearly two-thirds of suspects experi- enced some sort of mental symptoms ahead of their attacks, although only 25 percent had been hospitalized or prescribed medication.
“The most common symptoms observed were related to psychosis” — including paranoia, hallucinations and delusions — “and suicidal thoughts,” according to the report.
Stephen Paddock, a reclusive gambler, staked out several outdoor concerts before raining bullets down on a Las Vegas country music festival from his 32nd-floor hotel room in October. Although his motive remains unclear, his family has a history of mental health issues, and he lost a significant amount of wealth in the years leading up to his brutal attack.
Devin Patrick Kelley killed 26 people and wounded more than 20 during his November attack at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Previously a member of the U.S. Air Force, Kelley in 2012 was court-martialed for an assault on his wife and stepson. The same year, he escaped from a mental health clinic in New Mexico.
Both of these incidents should have prevented him from purchasing a firearm, but because of a reporting error he was able to obtain the weapon he used in the shooting.
Kelley killed himself moments after he opened fire into the Texas church.
Of the 28 men who committed acts of mass violence in 2017, seven “subscribed to a particular belief system,” according to the report. Only two of them were self-radicalized followers of the Islamic State.
Most of the incidents in 2017 were carried out using a firearm — 82 percent of attackers used a gun, 11 percent used a vehicle and about 7 percent used knives.
Of the 23 who used firearms, at least 10 possessed those weapons illegally. Two of them were minors and the others were felons or had some other factor that should have prohibited them from owning a gun.
In the wake of the Parkland school shooting in February and October’s Las Vegas massacre political leaders have called for a focus on mental health reform to curb similar attacks. Survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School attack, on the other hand, have called for extensive background checks and gun reform.