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ERIC Number: EJ1190536
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-May
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0164-775X
EISSN: N/A
FBI Study of Active Shooter Incidents: Implications for School Psychologists
Kennedy-Paine, Cathy; Crepeau-Hobson, Franci
Communique, v43 n7 p1, 22-23 May 2015
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a report entitled "A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States between 2000 and 2013" (Blair and Schweit 2014). The goal of the study is to provide law enforcement with data so there is a better understanding how to prevent, prepare for, and recover from active shooter incidents. It also provides important insights into these incidents and has essential information for school personnel. This article reviews the findings of the study and discusses the implications for school psychologists. Findings include: (1) In a majority of high school and middle school incidents, the shooter was a student at the school, rather that an adult. For example, 12 of 14 shooters in high schools were students at the schools, and 5 of the 6 middle school shooters were students at the schools; (2) At the elementary level, incidents increased from 1 to 3 across the two time periods. In these incidents, the perpetrators were all adult males (ages 26, 48, and 20) armed with handguns or rifles; and (3) The resolution of the incidents was significantly different in schools as compared with the study as a whole. The majority of the 160 incidents (56.3%) ended on the shooter's initiative (i.e., shooter committed suicide, stopped shooting, or fled the scene). In contrast, only 36% of the school incidents ended as a result of the shooter's actions, and in all of these cases, the shooter died by suicide. In the remaining school incidents (64%), either citizens or law enforcement resolved the shooting. The citizens who confronted the shooters to end the threat were unarmed teachers, administrators, counselors, coaches, and other school employees, one of those who attempted to intervene and was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School was school psychologist Mary Sherlock.
National Association of School Psychologists. 4340 East West Highway Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 301-657-0270; Fax: 301-657-0275; e-mail: publications@naspweb.org; Web site: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A