Suicidal Murderer

The quote above is ironic because Eric was purchasing winter wiper blades, CDs, and checked his brakes almost as if he was going to live. This quote demonstrates him as a normal teenager for a split second because he is doing activities that most people his age do. Normal suicidal killers will not invest in long term items knowing that they are going to die soon. The significance of the quote is that it demonstrates why Eric is an anomaly. He exhibits his psychotic tendency most of the time, but for the rest of the time he is a normal teenager.

In the book Columbine, written by Dave Cullen, is about two boys from Columbine High School who committed a huge crime. A fire bomb was placed in a cafeteria to kill everybody in the school. They wanted to beat the record and kill as many students and teachers as they possible could.They was known as the “worst school shooting in America.” Although the plan did not go as Eric, and Dylan had planned. Dylan is a sociopath and he has let his mind set on doing something he would feel bad for. Dylan’s parents had said,” He seemed an unlikely killer.” Dylan would talk before he would shoot, and make jokes as if it was hard for him to do. He felt as he needed to be a good friend to Eric, who has had a rough time at school as in

Although it is not obvious in modern society, psychopaths may survive and thrive within the population. Psychopaths are typically represented as stark outliers that rarely exist outside of mental institutions, but this is not always the case. In Columbine, by Dave Cullen, Cullen investigates the psychological state of Eric Harris, the mastermind behind the Columbine massacre that occurred on April 20, 1999. Through his extensive definition of psychopathy, Cullen elaborates on the reasons that led Eric to murder many of his peers, and to explain how his psychopathic nature helped him accomplish his mission.

It was 11:19 am when the first set of gunshots pierced through the walls of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. In 49 short minutes, two high school seniors, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and 1 teacher, and then killed themselves. Months prior, the pair planned out the attacks in a series of journal entries and video diaries. The attack at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 raised many questions; the biggest one being, why did they do it? While the common media misconception is that the Columbine shooting was a war against jocks and outcasts, the shooting was actually perpetuated by psychopathy and depression in the shooters.

“Looking at mass shooting in America, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold stands out in their background and motives. Unlike Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, or James Holmes at a movie theater in Colorado, or Jared Loughner outside an Arizona shopping center, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did not have discernable psychiatric diagnoses” (Sancier,2014).

The Columbine shootings occurred because two individuals who were mentally unstable and were prone to committing acts of violence had access to weapons. In addition to this the staff and parents did not report any suspicious behavior that was seen prior these crimes. The combination of social, psychological, and anger problems triggered a violent and deadly response. This could have been preventable if the initial warning signs were taken seriously. The video essay “trench coat mafia” should of lead to psychological evaluation that questioned and analyzed the mentality and perception of Eric and

Seventy-two analogous cases. 89 killed. 126 injured. Every single shot fired was an indirect result of the Columbine shooting (“The Columbine effect,” 2015). On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire on Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado with semiautomatic weapons and homemade bombs.

School shooters usually do not plan on getting away with the crime because the shooter has adopted a kill or be killed attitude and as such, is willing to take one’s own life. The third element of the social bond theory involvement. Harris and Klebold, spent a substantial amount of time involved in a lot of illegal online activities that included searching for information as to how to make pipe bombs and other explosives. Revenge is a motive in more than 50% of the school attacks because the offenders believed that retaliation is the only way to get revenge for the wrongful behaviors and actions of others, some investigators believed that the Columbine Shooting was out of revenge, and others believed that Harris and Klebold just had severe mental issues. The last element is belief. Belief is a common value system within a culture. Belief plays a role in deviance in two ways, the criminal either neglects the moral beliefs they have been taught, or justifies their deviant behavior beliefs so that they can engage in criminal activity, while still believing it’s wrong. Harris and Klebold belief was a mix of both, they disregarded the social norms of society and they justified their belief even though they knew it was wrong. A tape left behind showed footage of the boys confessing they wrong doing and how devastated their parents would be, but still followed through

Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, James Eagan Holmes, Stephen Paddock. You may ask yourself what these names have in common. I’ll tell you. They’re the names of just few of several individuals who’ve perpetrated mass shootings in the United States, and another trait they share? None other than mental illness.

This piece of the complex puzzle of mass shootings was clear in the shooting at Columbine High School, where the two murders sought to be in the status of the Oklahoma City Bombing. Vester Lee Flagan researched Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, the Columbine murders, before taking two lives on live air in a fit of rage on air. The element of glory was also illustrated by Adam Lanza, the murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School, who also idolized the Columbine shooting, sought to be famous through his contorted reality. This element of being famous through massacring the innocent can only be done if there is a lack of guidance to let the evil thought gestate into an inhuman reality that brings chaos and destruction to civilized

Most of the recent shootings seem to be contagious as their shooters’ plans and motives are almost all quite alike. These shooters have set a “stereotypical shooter” profile. They are typically male, white, and around the age of 20. Of all the mass shootings, only one was done by a woman (Mass Shootings in the U.S.). They are usually quite smart, part of a middle class family, and are normally quiet, lonely, and introverted. They are almost always socially awkward and have few-no friends. Yet, no one expects them to kill others as they are quiet. These shooters keep everything to themselves which may be one of the reasons why they are full of hatred. Often, they consider suicide, yet they refuse to talk to any sort of counselor. They are almost always constantly on a computer, frequently playing violent video games. Their shooting plan is almost always pre-meditated far in advance. They plan to make their shooting “great” and to ‘gain fame’ for their mass shooting. After the shooting, most commonly, they kill themselves.

It is often discovered that the shooters (almost exclusively men) are or were lonely, depressed, or angry. Many have or had diagnosed mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit disorder, schizophrenia, or Asperger’s syndrome. In fact, according to Rachel George of PolicyMic, of the 24 reported mass shootings since April 2007, 15 have involved a shooter officially diagnosed with some sort of mental illness (George). In addition to being mentally ill, shooters are often described as suicidal people, and many shoot themselves after shooting others. It would not appear, however, that the prevalence of mental disorders among shooters has any correlation with suicide (as eight of the 15 diagnosed took their own lives, with four of the nine undiagnosed doing the same, according to George). Cases in which the shooter did not commit suicide can lead to a trial. For example, James Holmes, a shooter who killed 12 in a Colorado movie theater, plead not guilty to all charges due to insanity. His trial will occur within the next year.

Another consideration is whether firearm violence is more a matter of harm to self or others. Suicides account for 61 % of all firearm fatalities in the United States in 2010 as recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (qtd. In Bowen, Injury 2015). In spite of such evidence, Gallup polling data from 2013 showed that 48 % of adult Americans blame the mental health system a great deal for mass shootings in the United States, whereas fewer 40 % blame easy access to guns; an inadequate mental health system is perceived as the top cause of mass shootings (qtd. In Bowen, Saad 2013).

There is an assumption that if you understand the minds of serial killers, or persons who commit mass shootings, that it may help prevent mass shootings. “Mass shootings are not on the rise, but have held steady over three decades, randomly clustering in time to trick our brains into finding a pattern of increase where none actually exists” (Shermer 3). Mass shootings happen at varying times without rhyme or reason. Some think that a psychological disorder or some genetic defect could be the reason people commit these crimes. Although we cannot prevent mass shootings, we can educate on how mental health issues can be a precursor to such a tragedy, and how better laws can create a safer environment.

Every time we turn on the television or the radio we hear about something tragic happening. Some news we ignore then we hear about things such as the Sandy hook shooting or a man on a killing spree. The first thing that comes to our mind is “How can anyone do this to those innocent people?” A lot of factors come into play when understanding how someone can kill innocent people such as their childhood, their psychological state, and their traits. It all starts with your childhood: what you learn, how you’re treated, and what you feel.