The School Shooter - Fort Gibson, Oklahoma: a case study

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, Sept, 2001 by William P. Heck

Since the policy went into effect, the Fort Gibson Police Department records reveal numerous reports filed on several students. When the department receives a call from the school, an officer brings the student back to the department, notifies the parents and the Office of Juvenile Affairs, and turns the child over to a juvenile officer. Fort Gibson police call records show that since the shooting, officers spend considerably more time at the school.

Ironically, the young shooter did not use any of the forbidden phrases or gestures that now would cause his apprehension and suspension. He was a mannerly, quiet, seventh-grade student whose obsession, in combination with other unknown factors, led him to commit a horribly violent act.

Conclusion

While the Fort Gibson shooting proved quite enigmatic and troubling to the small community, it clearly reinforced the findings of the most recent, in-depth research on school violence-no one can predict when, where, or by whom such violence may be committed. Consequently, it remains difficult to formulate a meaningful preventive response to school shootings or to develop a profile of a likely shooter. While the urge to act quickly remains overwhelming, it may compound the harm done and prolong the recovery.

Undoubtedly, experts must analyze carefully violent incidents occurring in schools to better identify and handle relevant causes and contributing factors. However, communities must give strong consideration to potential problems that might emerge in the aftermath. Specifically, authorities should give priority to restoring order in the affected school and providing students with sufficient time and resources to resolve their own emotions and put the incident behind them. Establishing irrelevant rules and taking formal action against children for minor indiscretions will do little more than prolong the healing process by further victimizing the students. In the end, the violence will still have occurred, and the official reaction will have encouraged a general sense of injustice and a loss of respect for authority.

What can be done? The law enforcement community has joined together to develop techniques for responding to school shootings. Officers, many of whom are parents, have witnessed more than enough of these tragedies and know firsthand that such wanton acts of violence must be prevented. In order to do so, police, schools, and communities must work together to develop plausible strategies that identify those youngsters teetering on the brink of violent outbreaks and provide meaningful, timely intervention.

Dr. Heck is an associate professor of criminal justice at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Endnotes

(1.) For additional information, see, U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, "The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective, 2000," (Washington, DC, 2000); http://www.fbi.gov; accessed March 14, 2001.

(2.) Ibid, 3.

(3.) For additional information on handling media inquiries, see, James L. Vance, "Media Interviews: A Systematic Approach for Success," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin; February 1997, 1-7.