MN shooting spurs talk of advanced, compassionate interventions

MINNEAPOLIS — As Minnesotans mourn those killed in Wednesday's mass shooting, public frustration is mounting over the frequency of such attacks in the United States.

Local researchers recommend a comprehensive and compassionate way of spotting warning signs and responding to them. The deadly attack on students at a Minneapolis Catholic school has again brought gun violence back in the spotlight.

James Densley, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Metro State University and deputy director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center at Hamline University, said his team's recent findings showed those who carry out school shootings are often in a noticeable crisis, meaning students, staff, and parents should be trained to recognize concerning behavior, and how to report it.

"A lot of this is really around communication that people trust in the systems that are going to get people off of that pathway to violence," Densley explained. "So that they don't go looking for answers in the darkest corners of the internet."

He noted speaking up should not lead to punishment for the person in question but rather accessible and affordable forms of care. The Center also said mass shooters have significant trauma histories and researchers recommend a more thorough screening of childhood trauma as kids grow up. Densley acknowledged challenges, such as peers not wanting to be seen as "snitches" for reporting someone.

Densley and his colleagues said the recommendations complement detection systems already in place or other often-discussed solutions, including safe storage of firearms. He emphasized it cannot just be about preparing for a situation where a person in crisis no longer cares whether they live or die and is willing to kill others in their "final act."

"That is very hard from a deterrent standpoint to figure out how we go about preventing this through usual security apparatus," Densley noted. "Instead, we really have to get more upstream of these problems because these are shootings that are rooted in despair."

Densley added they have interviewed people who have carried out mass shootings, along with those who had their attack plans thwarted. For situations where a tragedy was avoided, he stressed there was a common factor serving as a blockade.

"Many times it was a human intervention," Densley underscored. "It was an act of kindness that gave them hope and a reason to live. And it may sound simplistic but time and time again, it was that human connection that really made the difference."

As for warning signs in someone they know, he advised people should be mindful of dramatic changes in behavior, including aggression or an unexpected flurry of social media posts centered around grievances.\