Crime Scene Behaviors of Rampage School Shooters
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Nova Southeastern University NSUWorks Fischler College of Education: Theses and School of Criminal Justice Dissertations 1-1-2018 Crime Scene Behaviors of Rampage School Shooters: Developing Strategies for Planning, Response, and Investigation of Multiple-Victim Shooting Incidents on School Campuses Michael Knox Nova Southeastern University, [email protected] This document is a product of extensive research conducted at the Nova Southeastern University College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. For more information on research and degree programs at the NSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, please click here. Follow this and additional works at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cahss_jhs_etd Share Feedback About This Item NSUWorks Citation Michael Knox. 2018. Crime Scene Behaviors of Rampage School Shooters: Developing Strategies for Planning, Response, and Investigation of Multiple-Victim Shooting Incidents on School Campuses. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – Department of Justice and Human Services. (9) https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cahss_jhs_etd/9. This Dissertation is brought to you by the Fischler College of Education: Theses and Dissertations at NSUWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Criminal Justice by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Nova Southeastern University Department of Justice & Human Services Crime Scene Behaviors of Rampage School Shooters: Developing Strategies for Planning, Response, and Investigation of Multiple-Victim Shooting Incidents on School Campuses by Michael A. Knox A Dissertation Presented to the Department of Justice & Human Services of Nova Southeastern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Nova Southeastern University 2018 Approval Page This applied dissertation was submitted by Michael A. Knox under the direction of the persons listed below. It was submitted to the Department of Justice & Human Services and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Nova Southeastern University. Tina Jaeckle, Ph.D. Adjunct Professor, Department of Justice & Human Services Nova Southeastern University Grace A. Telesco, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Justice & Human Services Nova Southeastern University Gregory C. DiFranza, Ph.D. Law Enforcement Training Specialist !ii Abstract Crime Scene Behaviors of Rampage School Shooters: Developing Strategies for Planning, Response, and Investigation of Multiple-Victim Shooting Incidents on School Campuses. Michael Knox, 2018: Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Justice and Human Services. Descriptors: policing, mass shootings, rampage shootings, school violence. Despite their almost aberrational rarity, rampage school shootings have gained national attention to an extent that would make it seem that such events are a common occurrence. Many schools—along with hospitals, businesses, and other institutions—have adopted policies, implemented training, and conducted drills for responding to such incidents. In some cases, concern over school rampage shootings has led to bad policy implementations, particularly adoption of “zero tolerance” policies that punish the slightest infractions in hopes of thwarting potential attackers, but, rather than achieving their intended goal, result in massive false positive rates with few, if any, successes and a potential for fostering violence rather than abating it. For their part, law enforcement trainers and administrators have been caught in the rampage school shooter turmoil to such an extent that, starting with the aftermath of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, significant paradigm shifts in policing methodology have taken effect. In order to promote more informed policy-making and training decisions by law enforcement managers, this dissertation seeks to determine through empirical study of the crime scene behaviors of rampage school shooters the extent to which law enforcement planning and training can be informed by the study of prior incidents. Policy, training protocols, and institutional response plans have been shaped, in many cases, by a world of perception rather than reason and sound empirical evidence. This research seeks to bring clarity to the decision-making processes and provide sound empirical evidence on which to base those decisions and develop strategies for on-site protocols to help mitigate casualties, establish police response protocols, and develop post-incident investigative models. !iii Table of Contents Approval Page .....................................................................................................................ii Abstract ...............................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................iv List of Figures .....................................................................................................................vi Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Background ..............................................................................................................1 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................5 Dissertation Goal .....................................................................................................7 Research Questions ..................................................................................................8 Relevance and Significance .....................................................................................9 Barriers and Issues .................................................................................................12 Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................................13 Use of this Research ...............................................................................................14 Limitations and Delimitations ................................................................................15 Definition of Terms ................................................................................................16 Summary ................................................................................................................17 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature ...................................................................................19 Background ............................................................................................................19 Defining “Rampage Shooter” ................................................................................41 Shooters and Their Victims ....................................................................................47 Characteristics of the Events ..................................................................................61 Prevalence of Rampage Shooting Incidents ..........................................................62 Homicides on Campus ...........................................................................................63 Prevention and Response .......................................................................................65 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................100 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................101 Chapter 3: Methodology ..................................................................................................103 Participants ...........................................................................................................104 Instruments ...........................................................................................................105 Procedures ............................................................................................................105 Computer Use in Analysis ...................................................................................106 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................107 Research Questions ..............................................................................................112 Limitations ...........................................................................................................115 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................115 Chapter 4: Results ............................................................................................................117 !iv Descriptive Statistics ............................................................................................117 Demographics ......................................................................................................123 Temporal Trends ..................................................................................................127 Firearms ...............................................................................................................132