CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The deadly school shooting in Nashville has led to a multitude of questions including what signs may reveal that a person is a danger to others.
There are typically several factors to be considered when it comes to a person’s mental state and whether or not they may act on thoughts of violence.
According to Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit created shortly after the Sandy Hook school shooting, there are at least ten indicators that someone may be likely to hurt or kill others. These include:
- Suddenly withdrawing from friends, family
- Bullying, especially towards those different in race, religion, gender or sexual orientation
- Excessive irritability, lack of patience, or becoming quickly angry
- Chronic loneliness or social isolation
- Expressing persistent thoughts of harming themselves or someone else
- Making direct threats
- Bragging about access to guns or weapons
- Gaining an audience for an attack
- Expressing a threat as a plan
- Cruelty to animals
22News spoke to Dr. Negar Beheshti with Miravista Behavioral Health who says the process of determining who may actually fit the profile of a school shooter is done case-by-case and is complex.
“It’s very complex to peg. You know if somebody you know lashes out verbally, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re going to be a shooter.’ It’s not like that,” said Beheshti.
Dr. Beheshti highlights that exhibiting just one of the warning signs does not translate to someone inherently becoming violent.
