title: Shooting Alone: The Pre-Attack Experiences and Behaviors of U.S. Solo Mass Murderers.
abstract: This paper outlines the sociodemographic, developmental, antecedent attack, attack preparation, and commission properties of 115 mass murderers between 1990 and 2014. The results indicate that mass murderer attacks are usually the culmination of a complex mix of personal, political, and social drivers that crystalize at the same time to drive the individual down the path of violent action. We specifically focus upon areas related to prior criminal engagement, leakage, and attack location familiarity. Whether the violence comes to fruition is usually a combination of the availability and vulnerability of suitable targets that suit the heady mix of personal and political grievances and the individual's capability to engage in an attack from both a psychological and technical capability standpoint. Many individual cases share a mixture of unfortunate personal life circumstances coupled with an intensification of beliefs/grievances that later developed into the idea to engage in violence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Security and Crime Science, University College London, 35 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9EZ, UK.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.affiliation: Criminal Justice Faculty, Worcester State University, Worcester, MA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silver
authors.affiliation: Global Studies Institute and Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Department of Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horgan
authors.affiliation: Department of Security and Crime Science, University College London, 35 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9EZ, UK.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Corner
mesh_terms: D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006708:Homicide / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009042:Motivation; D017678:Sex Distribution; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000523:psychology
keywords: forensic science; mass murder; risk assessment; terrorism; threat assessment; violence