WAVE 04-17-17

Active shooter attacks are dy- lessen the harm to victims.
namic incidents that vary greatly
from one attack to another. The Because active shootings are
Department of Homeland Secu- often over within 10-to-15 min-
rity (DHS) defines an active utes – before law enforcement
shooter as “an individual actively arrives on the scene – you must
engaged in killing or attempting be prepared both mentally and
to kill people in a confined and physically to deal with this type of
populated area.” situation.

In its definition, DHS notes that, Active shooters generally begin
“in most cases, active shooters shooting at a number of people
use firearm(s) and there is no without warning. The motives for
pattern or method to their selec- their behavior range from rage or
tion of victims.” vengeance to mental dysfunc-
tion.
Active shooter situations can
happen anywhere and without Each active shooter situation is
warning. The random nature of unique, but the shooters’ actions
active shootings means that are usually similar.
threats cannot be predicted, only
responded to. This leaves public,
government and private institu-
tions vulnerable to serious vio-
lent crime.

Active shooter situations are un-
predictable and evolve quickly.
Typically, the immediate deploy-
ment of law enforcement is
needed to stop the shooting and



Active shooters often go to loca- wearing his uniform, evading se- arrived. One person died, one
tions where potential victims are curity by entering through a truck critical, one satisfactory, and one
close at hand, such as schools, bay that normally isn’t used by treated and released.
shopping malls, and workplaces. pedestrians at the rear of the
They are usually familiar with the building. UPS managers Brian December 13, 2013: Karl
location. Callans and Doug Hutcheson Halverson Pierson, 18, armed
were targeted and shot to death with a shotgun, machete, and
Active shooters assault people in a UPS office. The shooter then three Molotov cocktails, began
with whom they come into con- turned his handgun on himself. shooting in the hallways of Ara-
tact – quickly wounding multiple pahoe High School in Centen-
targets. June 5, 2014: Seattle Pacific nial, Colorado. As he moved
University: A shooter armed with through the school and into the li-
Active shooters may have a plan a shotgun, a knife and extra brary, he fired one additional
of attack and may be prepared rounds of ammunition walked round and lit a Molotov cocktail,
for confrontation with law en- into the lobby and fired multiple throwing it into a bookcase and
forcement. gunshots. When he stopped to causing minor damage. One per-
reload a student security guard son was killed; no wounded. The
Active shooters typically continue subdued the shooter by pepper- shooter committed suicide as po-
their attack despite the arrival of spraying him and taking him to lice approached him.
emergency responders. the ground, where he was pinned
by other students until authorities
Active shooters may be suicidal,
having decided to die in the
course of their actions. Escape is
usually not a priority.

Here is a look at several
active shooter incidents

that have occurred
recently.

September 22, 2014: 45-year
old Kerry Joe Tensey, a driver
who had been with UPS for 21
years and had just been termi-
nated. The next day he walked in



November 1, 2013: Paul An- August 5, 2013: Warren Newell, inside the apartment. Shooter
thony Ciancia, 23, armed with a 59, armed with a rifle and hand- was killed by police.
rifle, allegedly began shooting in gun, entered the Ross Township
Terminal 3 of Los Angeles Inter- Municipal Building in Saylors- June 21, 2013: Lakin Anthony
national Airport in Los Angeles, burg, Pennsylvania, during a Faust, 23, armed with a shotgun,
California. He pulled the gun Ross Township meeting. He al- began shooting outside the Kel-
from his duffle bag as he ap- legedly shot through a wall into lum Law Firm in Greenville,
proached a TSA security check- the meeting room and then en- North Carolina and then crossed
point, firing as he moved further tered the room and continued fir- the street and continued shoot-
into the terminal. One unarmed ing. Newell had a history of ing individuals in a Wallmart
Transportation Security Adminis- disputes with the township over parking lot. No one was killed,
tration security officer was killed, permits for his home. Three peo- four were wounded. The shooter
and two were wounded; one ad- ple were killed, two were was wounded during an ex-
ditional citizen was also wounded. The shooter was re- change of gunfire with police.
wounded. The shooter was strained by citizens until police
wounded and then arrested by arrived. June 7, 2013: John Zawahri, 23,
police. armed with a handgun, fatally
July 26, 2013: Pedro Alberto shot his father and brother in
October 26, 2013: Christopher Vargas, 42, set his apartment their home in Santa Monica, Cal-
Thomas Chase, 35, armed with complex on fire in Hialeah, ifornia. He then carjacked a vehi-
three handguns and two rifles; Florida. Then, armed with a cle and forced the driver to take
began shooting at police officers handgun, he began shooting out- him to Santa Monica College
in Albuquerque, New Mexico. side the complex. Six people campus. He allowed the driver to
The shooter, who was wearing were killed; no one was leave her vehicle unharmed, kept
body armor, forced a citizen to wounded. The shooter barri- shooting – killed by police. Five
call the police and then am- caded himself and two hostages were killed, four wounded.
bushed and shot at the two re-
sponding officers before fleeing
in their vehicle. Other officers
were shot at while pursuing the
shooter. No one was killed; four
police officers wounded. The
shooter was killed by police dur-
ing the pursuit, which ended
when the vehicle crashed into a
gas station pump.

August 24, 2013: Hubert Allen
Jr., 72, armed with a rifle and a
shotgun, began shooting at his
co-workers from Pritchett Truck-
ing, Inc., as he drove around
Lake Bulter, Florida. He then re-
turned home, where he commit-
ted suicide. Two people were
killed; two were wounded.

states each had experienced
four incidents, and one state ex-
perienced three incidents. Six
states each had two active
shooter incidents. The remaining
17 states each had

Active shooter incidents 12 killed by police, one off-duty Fifteen of the 40 incidents meet
in the USA; 2014-2015 3 committed suicide the criteria cited in the federal
1 surrendered to law enforce- definition of a “mass killings,” that
The WAVE listed only a few of ment is, “Three or more killings in a
single incident.” This is consis-
the 2013 active shooter incidents 42 shooters tent with the FBI’s previous study
and according to the FBI the of 160 active shooter incidents
number of active shooter situa- 39 males that found 40% of the incidents
tions increased substantially in 3 females fell with the federal definition of
2014 and 2015. mass killings.
2 husband and wife teams
40 incidents in 26 states: 20 in- Casualties
16 shooters committed suicide
cidents in 2014 & in 2015 A total of 231 casualties were
14 shooters were killed by law identified with 92 killed and 139
231 casualties: 92 killed and 139 wounded, excluding the shoot-
enforcement ers. The highest number of casu-
wounded (excluding the shoot- alties occurred at the Inland
ers) 4 law enforcement officers 12 shooters were apprehended Regional Center in San
killed and 10 wounded in 6 inci- Bernardino, California, with 14
dents 3 unarmed security guards 429 active shooter incidents killed and 22 wounded.
wounded
from 1966 to 2017 in the USA

6 incidents ended when citizens 6.4 is the average active shooter

acted to end the threat incidents per-year from 2000 to
2006
26 incidents ended when citi-
16.4 is the average active
zens acted to end the threat
shooter incidents per-year from
14 incidents ended with an ex- 2007-2013

change of gunfire between the Of those 40 incidents which oc-
16 shooters and law enforce- curred in 2014 and 2015, two
ment



restrained and taken into custody ment arrived, seven at the scene
by police. In two incidents, citi- after police responded, two at
zens physically restrained the another location.
shooters until law enforcement
arrived, one with the aid of pep- Fourteen (33.3%) of the 42
per spray. In two incidents, stu- shooters were killed by law en-
dents were confronted by forcement, including one killed by
teachers; the 12-year-old middle an off-duty officer. Twelve of
school students placed his gun them were killed at the scene.
on the floor when ordered to do
so, and the 15-year-old high Twelve (28.6%) of the 42 shoot-
school students committed sui- ers were apprehended, seven by
cide at the scene. law enforcement alone and five
through citizen involvement.
In another incident, a citizen with
Law enforcement/Security a valid firearms permit pursued
Personnel Involvement shooters inside a store, but was
shot and killed before he fired his
weapon.

Law enforcement exchanged Shooters In the first 14 months following
gunfire with the shooter in 14 in- the mass shooting in Newtown,
cidents, 13 at the scene and one Three female and 39 male shoot- CT., there were at least 44 school
at another location. In six of the ers conducted 40 active shooter shootings including fatal and
incidents, four officers were killed incidents in 2014 and 2015. Hus- nonfatal assaults, suicides, and
and 10 officers were wounded. band and wife teams carried out inintentional shootings.
Of note, six of the law enforce- two different incidents. One
ment casualties occurred at a shooter was a preteen, five were That was an average of more
single incident (Planned Parent- in their teens, 16 were in their than three a month. In the first six
hood, Colorado Springs), and 20’s, five were in their 30’s, eight weeks of 2014 alone, there were
two officers were ambushed were in their 40’s, five were in the 13 school shootings including
while eating lunch. 50’s, one was in his 60’s, and one 8 day period in which there
one was in his 70’s. were four shootings in K-12
Three unarmed security guards, schools.
all on duty at the time of the Sixteen (38.1%) of the 42 shoot-
shootings, were wounded. ers committed suicide: Seven at These school shootings resulted
the scene before law enforce- in 28 deaths and 37 non-fatal
Citizens’ Involvement gunshot injuries.

In six incidents, citizens success- School Shootings
fully acted to end the shootings.
In two separate incidents, a citi-
zen with a valid firearms permit
exchanged gunfire with the
shooter before the shooters were

School Confrontations frontation that began when two classmate he said bullied him,
Lead to Shootings young men bumped into each fired a single shot that struck the
other in the doorway of an aca- boy in the chest. Bryan fired one
January 9, 2014, Liberty demic building ended when one more shot, but no one else was
fired at least 10 shots. Three harmed.
Technology Magnet High School, people were wounded, including
Jackson, Tennessee: Two male two students and a 55 year old March 21, 2013, Davidson Mid-
students ages 16 and 17, got into maintenance worker who was dle School, Southgate, Michigan:
a disagreement over a female shot in the leg. Just before classes started one
student. After classes were dis- morning, 13 year old Tyler
missed, the two boys got into a April 15, 2013, Grambling Nichols walked into the bathroom
fight, and one was shot in the at his school, pulled a handgun,
leg. State University, Grambling, and committed suicide. Police re-
Louisiana: Three students, ages ported that the gun was legally
January 30, 2014, Eastern 19 to 21, were treated for gun- owned by a family member, but
shot wounds after a fight broke had not been safely secured.
Florida State College, Palm Bay, out outside a school dorm.
Florida; a verbal argument be- April 29, 2013, LaSalle High
tween students escalated into a December 4, 2013, West Or- School, Cincinnati, Ohio: Joseph
fight in the parking lot of the main Poynter, 17, was sitting at his
academic building, and a 24-year ange High School, Winter Gar- desk in a computer lab with
old student pulled a handgun den, Florida: a 17 year old about two dozen other students.
from his car and shot the other student shot a 15 year old class- Just after 9:00 am when he
student in the chest. mate during a fight that began as pulled out a .45 caliber semi-auto
classes were dismissed. handgun and fired a single shot
August 23, 2013, North at his head. He took the gun from
An average of two school shoot- his home where it was kept in a
Panola High School, Sardis Mis- ings took place at K-12 schools safe.
sissippi: a 15 year old was killed each month between De15, 2012
by a single gunshot to the chest and February 10, 2014. October 21, 2013, Sparks Mid-
after a fight broke out at a high dle School, Sparks, Nevada:
school football game. Three peo- Many of the students who perpe- Shouting “Why are you laughing
ple involved in the fight were ar- trated these shootings had easy at me? Why are you doing this to
rested for the shooting, including access to guns at home. In sev- me?” 12 year old Jose Reyes fa-
a 17 year old. eral cases, investigators declined tally shot a teacher and wounded
to comment on how the child ob- two other students with a 9mm
January 16, 2013, Chicago tained a firearm because the in- semiautomatic Ruger handgun.
cidents were under active The gun was kept in a gun box
State University, Chicago, Illinois: investigations. that was unlocked.
After a basketball game between
two rival high schools at Chicago January 10, 2013, Taft Union
State University, a fight erupted High School, Taft, California: Six-
during the post-game handshake teen year old Bryan Oliver
and a 17 year old HS student walked into his science class-
was fatally shot. room with a 12 gauge Winches-
ter shotgun that belonged to his
January 22, 2013, Lone Star brother, aimed at a 16 year old

College, Houston, Texas: a con-

January 14, 2014, Berrendo
Middle School, Roswell, New
Mexico: During the cold or in-
clement weather, students at
Berrendo Middle School gather
in the school gym to wait for
school to start. They were there
on 01-14-14 when Mason Camp-
bell, 12, walked into the gym and
pulled out a 20 gauge shotgun
he took from home. Campbell
opened fire on his fellow stu-
dents, critically wounding an 11
year old boy, seriously injuring a
13 year old girl, and wounding
am adult staff member. After
Campbell fired all three rounds in
the gun, a teacher stepped for-
ward and persuaded him to put
the gun down.