Cho’s words, actions fit school shooting pattern

Seldom impulsive acts
Foremost is that incidents of targeted violence at school are rarely sudden, impulsive acts, the experts say.

"Students who engaged in school-based attacks typically did not 'just snap' and then engage in impulsive or random acts of targeted school violence," the Secret Service researchers wrote. "Instead, the attacks examined under the Safe School Initiative appeared to be the end result of a comprehensible process of thinking and behavior: behavior that typically began with an idea, progressed to the development of a plan, moved on to securing the means to carry out the plan and culminated in an attack. This is a process that potentially may be knowable or discernible from the attacker’s behaviors and communications."

Other key findings of the Secret Service study:

• Prior to most incidents, other people knew about the attacker’s idea and/or plan to attack.
• There is no accurate or useful "profile" of students who engaged in targeted school violence.
• Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures. Moreover, many had considered or attempted suicide.
• Many attackers felt bullied, persecuted or injured by others prior to the attack.
• Most attackers had access to and had used weapons prior to the attack.
• In many cases, other students were involved in some capacity.
• Despite prompt law enforcement responses, most shooting incidents were stopped by means other than law enforcement intervention. The end came through suicide in about one-eighth of the shootings.

Can attacks be prevented?

The Secret Service researchers offered some hope. Some attack plans may be interrupted if quick action is taken when other students and teachers have concerns.

"However, findings from the Safe School Initiative suggest that the time span between
the attacker’s decision to mount an attack and the actual incident may be short. Consequently, when indications that a student may pose a threat to the school community arise in the form of revelations about a planned attack, school administrators and law enforcement officials will need to move quickly to inquire about and intervene in that plan."

Expert suggests team approach
What could school officials do?

In an interview Wednesday, Fein offered several suggestions:

• Disseminate clear descriptions of behavior that is and is not acceptable. Codes of conduct can help.
• Offer resources with no risk of losing privacy — typically chaplains, counselors, health care practitioners or ombudsmen.
• Create a system that can deal both formally and informally with any concerns that are raised. As an example, Fein said that schools could link dormitory residential advisers, peer counselors and health care practitioners with campus police and department heads, among others. Many systems will need some outside expertise on occasion for assessment and management.
• Strengthen training and networking for all these participants in a coordinated response.
• Initiate more active investigation when someone is raising concerns. If people on campus were concerned that Cho was dangerous, did he have a gun?

What about the parents?

"Federal privacy laws make calling the parents really difficult," Fein said. "But there are always  ways to have a team assess what is reported by the bystanders, and devise a way for someone to come in for some level of consultation."

Students could be told, "You are scaring some people on campus who know you,” Fein said. “... We would like to talk with you about how things are going. ... I will drop by the dorm every evening at five. ... Your work seems to have dropped off suddenly. ... Your behavior is seen as unreasonably disruptive. ... We are concerned about you."

Educational institutions, Fein said, need standard protocols about when and how they will assess problematic behavior and when they might require people to take time off.

Spelling out ‘unacceptable behavior’
"Unacceptable behavior and even criminal behavior happen all the time — everywhere, in all societies and all kinds of organizations," Fein said. "People who are planning bad behavior often communicate something to people around them, by talking or e-mailing or behaving in a manner that concerns others — all the stuff this kid was doing that raises questions."

At Virginia Tech's English Department, Lucinda Roy said she made a repeated effort to talk Cho into going for counseling.

"I kept saying, 'Please go to counseling; I will take you to counseling,' because he was so depressed," said Roy, the department's director of creative writing.

"This was one of the most disturbed students I'd ever seen, and that's why I referred him to counseling and the police," Roy said this morning on the Today show. "His behavior was incredibly bizarre."

Police "really wanted to be able to assist me," Roy said, "and said they would offer me security outside the classroom, but their hands were tied because he did not make a direct threat."

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