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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:54 pm
Time: 8:54 pm
Results for mass murders
9 results foundAuthor: Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Title: The Police Response to Active Shooter Incidents Summary: "The Police Response to Active Shooter Incidents," which describes changes in police departments' practices in responding to mass shootings, such as the ones that occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School and the Washington, DC Navy Yard. Today's policies and practices are focused on reducing the number of victims when an active shooter incident happens. There is an emphasis on engaging the shooter as quickly as possible and not necessarily waiting for SWAT or other special units to arrive. In addition, police, fire, and emergency medical services are conducting joint training designed to get medical assistance to gunshot victims as quickly as possible. Sometimes this involves allowing EMS workers to enter "warm zones" before it is certain that the shooter or shooters have been apprehended. And police officers can be trained to give life-saving medical care. The report also describes efforts by police to work with other governmental and private organizations to prevent active shooter incidents, by identifying persons who may pose a threat and helping them to get treatment for mental illness or other needs. Finally, the report discusses ways in which police can educate community members about what to do if they are confronted with an active shooting situation. Details: Washington, DC: PERF, 2014. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed July 1, 2014 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/the%20police%20response%20to%20active%20shooter%20incidents%202014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/the%20police%20response%20to%20active%20shooter%20incidents%202014.pdf Shelf Number: 132585 Keywords: Active Shooter IncidentsCrisis InterventionGun ViolenceMass MurdersMass ShootingsPolice ProceduresPolice TrainingThreat Assessment |
Author: Campo, Joe Title: Firearm Deaths in Washington State Summary: Mass murders - senseless semi-automatic assault-style rifle attacks in movie theaters, shopping malls and even elementary schools - have, sadly, become staples on the evening news. Seemingly before one town's mourning can come to a close, another town's begins anew. And yet the dark shadows cast by these horrific events may cloak other equally senseless - and much more prevalent - firearm-related deaths. In this research brief, we examine firearm deaths by magnitude and intent, gender and age, race and ethnicity, and by regional and small areas. We also identify potential risk factors, compare Washington's rates with those in British Columbia and our nation, and assess the trend in hand gun purchases within our state. Broadly we find that contrary to the general public's perception, firearm deaths are more of a rural than urban blight, and the victims are, in fact, overwhelmingly themselves the perpetrators. We also find that while males are more likely to be killed by a firearm than are females, it is the elderly males (those ages 65 and older) who have the highest rates of all. Details: Olympia, WA: Washington State Office of Financial Management, 2013. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Brief No. 71: Accessed July 17, 2014 at: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/researchbriefs/2013/brief071.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/researchbriefs/2013/brief071.pdf Shelf Number: 132709 Keywords: Crime StatisticsFirearmsGun-Related ViolenceGunsHomicidesMass Murders |
Author: Aurora Fire Department (Colorado) Title: Century Theater Shooting: Aurora Fire Department Preliminary Incident Analysis Summary: On July 20th, 2012, at approximately 12:40 am, a gunman opened fire in Century 16 Theater #9 where more than 400 people were attending the premier of The Dark Knight Rises. By 12:46 am the Aurora Fire Department and Rural Metro Ambulance were on scene and treating injured patients. By 1:33 am 70 patients were transported to area hospitals. 12 people died from their injuries. Each section of this preliminary incident analysis (PIA) evaluates a different aspect of the response. - Initial Response - ICS structure - Emergency Medical Services Details: Aurora, CO: Aurora Fire Department, 2014. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 15, 2014 at: https://www.llis.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/Aurora%20Colorado%20Theatre%20Shooting.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.llis.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/Aurora%20Colorado%20Theatre%20Shooting.pdf Shelf Number: 133913 Keywords: Gun-Related ViolenceHomicidesMass MurdersMass Shootings (Colorado)Murders |
Author: System Planning Corporation, TriData Division Title: Aurora Century 16 Theater Shooting: After Action Report for the City of Aurora, Colorado Summary: The City of Aurora chose to conduct an independent after action review (AAR) of its response to the July 20, 2012 mass shooting at the Century 16 Theater movie complex, and the associated threat of explosive devices at XXXXXXX apartment on Paris Street. The City competitively selected TriData Division, System Planning Corporation, to undertake the review. TriData had completed over 50 after action reviews of major emergency incidents, including previous mass shootings at Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, and Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Scope The After Action Review started in May 2013, almost a year after the incident. The delay was due to a court-imposed gag order on information connected with the case, which had not yet come to trial. The case still had not yet come to trial during this review, which confined the scope to the response, and not the investigation or background of XXXXXXX. The review focused primarily on the response of the City's emergency forces during the first three days, including actions by police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS), private ambulances, hospitals, public safety communications, and public information personnel. Also included was the first week of family and victim assistance, assistance to first responders, and healing support for the community. The roles played by regional and national agencies and other city departments were reflected in the review. The investigation of the crime itself was largely outside the scope of the review, except for initial steps taken to gather and organize theater witnesses, and the actions of the coroner. XXXXXXX background and motivation were outside the scope, as was the issue of preventing these types of incidents. The charge to the team was to first describe the event and actions taken by the City's emergency personnel, then to evaluate what was done, draw lessons learned, and make recommendations for the future. The project team was also to review measures taken by the City after the incident to improve future emergency responses. The report attempts to make a reasonable compromise between level of detail and readability. The goal was to provide a sufficiently detailed description of events so that readers would understand the key aspects. In some cases, details were withheld out of concern that they might be too useful to future perpetrators. Some timeline information is provided in each chapter to help the reader understand the flow of events. The Appendix has a detailed combined timeline developed by the Aurora Police Department that is based largely on radio transmissions, telephone recordings, the automated vehicle location system, and interviews of participants. Details: Arlington, VA: System Planning Corporation, 2014. 188p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 15, 2014 at: http://www.courts.state.co.us/Media/Opinion_Docs/14CV31595%20After%20Action%20Review%20Report%20Redacted.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.courts.state.co.us/Media/Opinion_Docs/14CV31595%20After%20Action%20Review%20Report%20Redacted.pdf Shelf Number: 133912 Keywords: Emergency Response TeamsGun-Related ViolenceHomicidesMass MurdersMass Shootings (Colorado)Murders |
Author: Sedensky, Stephen J., III Title: Report of the State's Attorney of the Judicial District of Danbury on the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and 36 Yogananda Street, Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012 Summary: The purpose of this report is to identify the person or persons criminally responsible for the twenty-seven homicides that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut, on the morning of December 14, 2012, to determine what crimes were committed, and to indicate if there will be any state prosecutions as a result of the incident. The State's Attorney for the Judicial District of Danbury is charged, pursuant to Article IV, Section 27 of the Constitution of the State of Connecticut and Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) Sec. 51-276 et seq., with the investigation and prosecution of all criminal offenses occurring within the Judicial District of Danbury. The Connecticut State Police have the responsibility to prevent and detect violations of the law and this State's Attorney has worked with and relied upon the Connecticut State Police since the incident occurred. Since December 14, 2012, the Connecticut State Police and the State's Attorney's Office have worked with the federal authorities sharing responsibilities for various aspects of this investigation. Numerous other municipal, state and federal agencies assisted in the investigation. The investigation materials reflect thousands of law enforcement and prosecutor hours. Apart from physical evidence, the materials consist of more than seven-hundred individual files that include reports, statements, interviews, videos, laboratory tests and results, photographs, diagrams, search warrants and returns, as well as evaluations of those items. In the course of the investigation, both state and federal law enforcement personnel received a large number of contacts purporting to provide information on the shootings and the shooter. Although many times these "leads" would go nowhere, each one was evaluated and often required substantial law enforcement time to pursue. An abundance of caution was used during the investigation to ensure that all leads were looked into, despite the fact that more than 40 such "leads" proved, after investigation, to be unsubstantiated. Information that was substantiated and relevant was made part of the investigation. It is not the intent of this report to convey every piece of information contained in the voluminous investigation materials developed by the Connecticut State Police and other law enforcement agencies, but to provide information relevant to the purposes of this report. While no report is statutorily required of the State's Attorney once an investigation is complete, it has been the practice of State's Attorneys to issue reports on criminal investigations where there is no arrest and prosecution if the State's Attorney determines that some type of public statement is necessary. Given the gravity of the crimes committed on December 14, 2012, a report is in order. On the morning of December 14, 2012, the shooter, age 20, heavily armed, went to Sandy Hook Elementary School (SHES) in Newtown, where he shot his way into the locked school building with a Bushmaster Model XM15-E2S rifle. He then shot and killed the principal and school psychologist as they were in the north hallway of the school responding to the noise of the shooter coming into the school. The shooter also shot and injured two other staff members who were also in the hallway. Details: Hartford, CT: State of Connecticut, Division of Criminal Justice, 2013. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 25, 2014 at: http://www.ct.gov/csao/lib/csao/Sandy_Hook_Final_Report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.ct.gov/csao/lib/csao/Sandy_Hook_Final_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 134233 Keywords: Gun ViolenceHomicidesMass MurdersSandy Hook Elementary SchoolSchool Shootings (Connecticut)School Violence |
Author: Connecticut. Office of the Child Advocate Title: Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School Summary: On Friday, December 14, 2012, our state and nation were stunned by the overwhelming tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School where twenty children and six educators were shot in their school. AL, who had already shot his mother in their home, also shot himself. In the immediate aftermath of this terrible event, state and federal law enforcement agencies began investigating the circumstances leading up to the shooting. On January 30, 2013, the State Child Fatality Review Panel (CFRP)--charged with reviewing the sudden and unexpected death of children-directed the state Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) to investigate the circumstances leading to the death of the children at Sandy Hook, with a focus on any public health recommendations that may emanate from a review of the shooter's personal history. The Office of the Child Advocate, with the assistance of co-authors and consultants, reviewed numerous subjects pertinent to the charge from the CFRP, including: - The mental health, developmental and social history of AL from his birth to the days before the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. - The educational record of AL, including documentation of needs and services provided. - The medical history of AL from childhood to adulthood. - Relevant laws regarding special education and confidentiality of records and how these laws implicate professional obligations and practices. OCA began a comprehensive collection and review of records related to the life of AL-including his medical, mental health and education records, as well as un-redacted state police and law enforcement records. OCA reviewed thousands of pages of documents, consulted with law enforcement and members of the Child Fatality Review Panel, conducted interviews, and incorporated extensive research to develop the report's findings and recommendations. Details: Hartford, CT: Office of the Child Advocate, 2014. 114p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 8, 2014 at: http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf Shelf Number: 134281 Keywords: Gun Violence Mass Homicides (Connecticut)Mass MurdersSchool CrimeSchool SafetySchool ShootingsSchool Violence |
Author: Krouse, William J. Title: Mass Murder with Firearms: Incidents and Victims, 1999-2013 Summary: In the wake of tragedy in Newtown CT, Congress defined "mass killings" as "3 or more killings in a single incident" (P.L. 112-265). Any consideration of new or existing gun laws that follows mass shootings is likely to generate requests for comprehensive data on the prevalence and deadliness of these incidents. Despite the pathos of mass shootings, only a handful of researchers and journalists have analyzed the principal source of homicide data in the United States-the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR) compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)-to determine whether those incidents have become more prevalent and deadly. According to the FBI, the term "mass murder" has been defined generally as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered, within one event, and in one or more locations in close geographical proximity. Based on this definition, for the purposes of this report, "mass shooting" is defined as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with firearms, within one event, and in one or more locations in close proximity. Similarly, a "mass public shooting" is defined to mean a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with firearms, within one event, in at least one or more public locations, such as, a workplace, school, restaurant, house of worship, neighborhood, or other public setting. This report analyzes mass shootings for a 15-year period (1999-2013). CRS analysis of the FBI SHR dataset and other research indicates that offenders committed at least 317 mass shootings, murdered 1,554 victims, and nonfatally wounded another 441 victims entirely with firearms during that 15-year period. The prevalence of mass shooting incidents and victim counts fluctuated sporadically from year to year. For the period 2007-2013, the annual averages for both incidents and victim counts were slightly higher than the years from 1999-2007. With data provided by criminologist Grant Duwe, CRS also compiled a 44-year (1970-2013) dataset of firearms-related mass murders that could arguably be characterized as "mass public shootings." These data show that there were on average: - one (1.1) incident per year during the 1970s (5.5 victims murdered, 2.0 wounded per incident), - nearly three (2.7) incidents per year during the 1980s (6.1 victims murdered, 5.3 wounded per incident), - four (4.0) incidents per year during the 1990s (5.6 victims murdered, 5.5 wounded per incident), - four (4.1) incidents per year during the 2000s (6.4 victims murdered, 4.0 wounded per incident), and - four (4.5) incidents per year from 2010 through 2013 (7.4 victims murdered, 6.3 wounded per incident). These decade-long averages suggest that the prevalence, if not the deadliness, of "mass public shootings" increased in the 1970s and 1980s, and continued to increase, but not as steeply, during the 1990s, 2000s, and first four years of the 2010s. Mass shootings are arguably one of the worst manifestations of gun violence. As discussed in this report, statute, media outlets, gun control and rights advocates, law enforcement agencies, and researchers often adopt different definitions of "mass killing," "mass murder," and "mass shooting," contributing to a welter of claims and counter-claims about the prevalence and deadliness of mass shootings. With improved data, policymakers would arguably have additional vantage points from which to assess the legislative proposals that are inevitably made in the wake of these tragedies. Toward these ends, Congress could consider directing one or several federal agencies, including but not limited to the FBI and BJS, to improve collection of data on multiple-victim homicides. Congress could also direct federal agencies, possibly the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to report annually on firearms-related mass murders, including data on (1) offender acquisition of firearms, (2) types of firearms used, (3) amounts and types of ammunition carried and shots fired, (4) killed and wounded counts, (5) offender histories of mental illness and domestic violence, and (6) victim-offender relationships. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2015. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 3, 2015 at: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44126.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44126.pdf Shelf Number: 136296 Keywords: Gun-Related ViolenceGunsHomicidesMass HomicidesMass MurdersViolent Crimes |
Author: Godoy, Angelina Snodgrass Title: God Alone was with Us: The Santa Cruz massacre Summary: This report represents the first attempt to systematically document the massacre of Santa Cruz, which occurred in the context of a November 1981 scorched earth operation in Cabanas department in northern El Salvador. The massacre is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation in El Salvador; survivors attribute command responsibility for the atrocity to Col. Sigifredo Ochoa Perez (Ret.), currently a member of the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly, among other parties. The research presented here draws on numerous sources. First, we have collaborated extensively with the Instituto de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Centroamericana "Jose Simeon Canas," whose lawyers represent several victims seeking justice in this case and whose research team conducted related investigations in 2013. We also draw on conversations our research team has held with survivors in both El Salvador and the United States, some of whom have given public testimony about these events, and others with whom our researchers spoke to in confidence, due to ongoing concerns for their safety. We have conducted extensive research through declassified documents from various United States government agencies, using documents that were already public as a result of requests from past researchers, as well as documents we obtained through over one hundred Freedom of Information Requests filed since 2012. Lastly, we consulted news media from the period, reviewed the reports by human rights organizations, and perused scholarly publications for additional information pertaining to these events. Taken together, these sources provide powerful evidence that crimes against humanity occurred in the area surrounding Santa Marta, in the municipality of Victoria, Cabanas, during the military operation of November 11-19, 1981. While this report documents significant evidence of major atrocities, it is offered in full recognition of the fact that further investigation remains necessary to establish the details of everything that transpired. Indeed, such a task is urgent, both to preserve historical memory and to pursue legal accountability for these crimes. We hope that our efforts here might help spur those with the responsibility to conduct a thorough investigation, including forensic exhumations of the numerous reported gravesites, to do so. Details: Seattle, WA: University of Washington, Center for Human Rights, 2015. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 5, 2015 at: http://unfinishedsentences.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/GodAloneWasWithUs.pdf Year: 2015 Country: El Salvador URL: http://unfinishedsentences.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/GodAloneWasWithUs.pdf Shelf Number: 136962 Keywords: HomicidesHuman Rights AbusesMass Murders |
Author: Johnston, Jennifer Title: Mass Shootings and the Media Contagion Effect Summary: According to the latest FBI analysis, mass shootings in the United States have increased three-fold in just the last fifteen years (Blair & Schweit, 2014). Recent analyses of media coverage followed by copycat incidents indicate a media contagion effect (Garcia-Bernardo, et al., 2015; Towers, Gomez-Lievano, Khan, Mubayi, & Castillo-Chavez, 2015). Lankford (2014; 2015) and Meloy, Sheridan, and Hoffman (2008) found that most shooters desired fame and wished to emulate a previous mass shooter. Madfis (2014) suggests that rampage shooters, who are almost all White men in early adulthood seek power and dominance that they perceive is their right, but perceive they are being denied, for various reasons, by society. Profiles of shooters indicate that they are often socially isolated and suffer a pattern of ostracization or bullying, yet they tend toward narcissism (Fox & Delateur, 2013; Fox & Levin, 2013; Meloy, 2014). Many fantasize about revenge or murder, and that this type of fantasy is not unusual or "extreme." Buss's (2005) research indicates up to 90% of men fantasize about murder. What tips the scales from fantasy to reality? We would argue identification with prior mass shooters made famous by extensive media coverage, including names, faces, writings, and detailed accounts of their lives and backgrounds, is a more powerful push toward violence than mental health status or even access to guns. First proposed by Phillips (1983), the violent media contagion effect was largely ignored by criminologists and psychologists, but more recently the evidence of the power of copycat homicide is mounting. Computer models developed by mathematicians note that the events cluster in time and by region (Garcia-Bernardo et al., 2015; Towers, et al., 2015), according to mass and social media coverage. Also, as Phillips (1974) and Stack (2002) determined, celebrity suicides were followed by a sudden spike of suicides in the general population, so mass media agreed to cease reporting names and some details of suicides since 1994 (O'Carroll & Potter, 1994). Our symposium panel of leading experts on this topic will examine the magnitude of the mass shooting media contagion effect, with an aim to suggest guidelines to the media about how, and how much, to cover specific details about the shooters with the aim of preventing a portion of mass murder. Details: Silver City, NM: Western New Mexico University, 2016. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 16, 2017 at: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2016/08/media-contagion-effect.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2016/08/media-contagion-effect.pdf Shelf Number: 146214 Keywords: Gun-Related ViolenceHomicidesMass MurdersMass ShootingsMedia |