Although rare, school shootings like the one in Chardon, Ohio capture the horror imagination of every parent and teenager. And many people’s immediate reaction is, “Why would someone do that?”
The alleged shooter, TJ Lane, will now be psychoanalyzed from afar in the media, with various experts throwing in their two cents about his motivations and explaining his actions. Paula Mooney has provided initial fodder, by giving us TJ Lane’s Facebook page. “Experts” will try and piece together a portrait of TJ Lane with these kinds of bits and pieces of random, self-selected personal information.
I’ll try and refrain from any psychological analysis of TJ Lane, since as a professional, I’ve never met him or interviewed him. But I do want to discuss the school shooting in a broader context of whether there are any lessons here we can learn.
Here’s what CBS News is reporting about what happened:
Authorities say TJ Lane walked into the [Chardon] high school cafeteria early Monday and targeted a group of students sitting at one of the tables. Three of the students were killed, and two more were injured. […]
TJ Lane attended Lake Academy, an alternative school in Willoughby for students in Lake and Geauga counties. His peers said the 17-year-old shooting suspect was quiet. Some said he was sweet, while others said he had a simmering temper.
TJ Lane apparently later told police that he didn’t know the victims and chose them randomly. “Suspect TJ Lane, 17, admitted firing 10 shots with a .22-caliber pistol Monday morning at Chardon High School, Geauga County prosecutor David Joyce said at a juvenile court hearing.” He apparently used an illegal firearm obtained from his uncle, even though there were many legal guns in the household.
“He chose his victims at random. This is not about bullying. This is not about drugs,” [Prosecutor David Joyce] said.
“This is someone who’s not well, and I’m sure in our court case we’ll prove that to all of your desires and we’ll make sure justice is done here in this county.”
School violence — just like regular violence — is often random and without a clear, logical rationale. Violence doesn’t have to make sense, yet we want it to. We want to connect the dots from A to B to C, “This guy is mugging me, because he needs the money so he can buy more drugs to fuel his drug habit.”
But life is rarely so straight-forward.
I think Psych Central blogger Erika Krull’s take on this search for explanations into TJ Lane’s behavior hits the nail on the head:
Even if TJ gave a complete rationalization, would it really explain anything? Would it really satisfy anyone, including himself? And would it explain the other school shootings in any reliable way? Maybe, but maybe not.
Each school shooting — like any act of violence — is unique. TJ Lane’s explanation is not really going to help us understand much of anything (except, maybe, TJ Lane).
What might help is understanding some of the warning signs a school shooting might be brewing, and encourage teens and children to report threatening texts or other messages they may be aware of. (In Lane’s case, it’s alleged that he texted some friends about his intentions.)
Sadly, as with most acts of senseless violence, whatever explanations offered will be unsatisfactory and not really explain much of anything. Bullying? Most bullies don’t go on a shooting rampage. Disenfranchised? Many teenagers experience similar feelings without killing others. Has emotional or behavioral problems? Again, most teens with such problems aren’t violent, much less murderous.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Chardon, Ohio.
Explore this topic…
- Ohio School Shooter — What’s The Real Story Behind The Tragedy?
- Violence in Children and School Shootings
- Tips for Talking to Students About a School Shooting
- The Arizona Shootings: A Recurrent American Tragedy
- Virginia Tech Shooting Questions Loom
20 comments
It’s the drugs. Stop drugging our children and they’ll stop shooting up their schools.
There’s no scientific evidence of a connection between prescription drugs and violence.
There is, however, data supporting a connection between substance abuse (illegal drugs) or alcohol abuse and violence.
I’m not aware of anything suggesting that school shooters are on any kind of illegal drugs or alcohol. It’s also not clear from what we know about previous shootings that any of them were on prescription drugs either.
…and yet known side effects include SEVERE mood swings, agitation, depression, anxiety, paranoia, suicidal tendencies etc, etc
There isn’t ‘evidence’ because it isn’t profitable. Imagine the flak and legal implications the pharmaceutical industry and FDA would suffer by admitting the approval of drugs whose long list of side effects must now include MURDER.
Go to google and put in prescription drugs and school shootings. All of these shooters were on some sort of anti-depressant. All. Who will pay for the study that you are asking for? Big Pharma? Please.
I have no doubt that he was either on or just got off the anti-depressed pills. If you do the research, every child who’s done this kind of creme were either on or had just gotten off the psychoactive drug.
Like others have said. What psychotropic drug was he on? Anyone who is ignorant enough to say these have no factor in these issues is whistling past the graveyard so to speak or in bed with Big Pharma. PERIOD!
Love that you said “although rare” because rare they are and they really aren’t any explanations. There is only understanding.
Agreed! Like I said before. You’re either a fool or a sellout to Big Pharma to think these drugs are not a factor!
I guess my question, based on bitter experience, is how is one to know if a threat to harm is just frustration or the straw that broke the camel’s back?
At least in a school setting there are resources and people available, once the adults and children are educated properly. (And just how you you do that with children any how?)
Out in the real world, a lot of people don’t want to get ‘involved’ or the right kind of resources aren’t available in time.
Of course, there’s no easy answer to that question… So unfortunately, it’s wisest to report every potential threat.
It’s just not something kids can joke about any more. If your friend says they’re gonna bring a gun to school, tell someone — a teacher, counselor, secretary or principal.
Even if it turns out not to be a real threat, there’s little harm done.
It may not put a complete end to the violence, but it would be a start.
A major common denominator in school shootings is the easy availability of guns in the United States.
Unfortunately, the barn door to the gun issue was opened 240+ years ago and can’t be closed in our lifetimes. Guns are an ingrained part of our history and culture and there’s simply no way you can remove them from our society in any way that would make a dent in the amount of guns already out there.
I am always uneasy when people quickly jump to blame an inanimate object for a sentient being’s behavior. We are all sentient, aren’t we? To blame the presence of guns for the chosen acts of a human being reduces us all to mindless automatons, worse off than animals who at least are guided by instinct. Should we rubber-room our existence? Are we incapable of judgment? Do we need to be controlled? And who, pray tell, will do the controlling? This is a tragic, senseless act commited by a tragically troubled individual. Let’s not paint with such a broad brush, and judge all humanity (by logical extension) as incapable of making appropriate, life-affirming decisions in the presence of potentially dangerous objects. Even if we find those particular objects frightening or distasteful. It is incredibly inaccurate, and quite dangerous in both the short- and long-run.
Not to mention, the farther back you go in US history, the *more* kids had access to guns, not less.Why no school shootings in the one-room schoolhouses?
Respect was taught in the homes. Respect was given to teachers, police officers and your fellow citizens. We have become a more “me society”
My wants, needs and happiness comes before anyone else.
I had a road rage incident back in 1989…I had my little sister 16 yrs old and my 3 year old daughter with me in the car…. this man had come at me for more than 2 miles of roadway. I had my sister lower the back of her seat as far back as she could it….when I tried to turn off to a well lite road the man pulled in front of me and got out of his car and started coming at me.
All I did was point my 9mm at him. He left ….
I don’t see how at that point we could have had a reasonable conversation about his rage. My job was to protect the family in my car.
Doesn’t Chicago have banned gun laws? Yet constantly have huge murder rates. England has strict gun laws…. so people use other tools as swords, knifes and BOMBS. Psychopaths do not care about you or your family.
Agreed – we can’t ignore the huge societal changes in how children are raised and how parents teach their children emotional maturity and responsibility over time.
Child and teen violence is not new, however. Ready and timely access to the information that a child or teen committed a crime somewhere in the country is.
Megalodon is correct in many ways. So is Jev2DaMaximum, although, that isn’t always even in the case of people who take the same medications. Nonetheless medication can put a person in those thoughts…sadly enough, but true.
On Megalodon’s comment…people can be educated about reasoning behind this, but just like mental illness, can come in a variety of reasons, there is nothing someone can do or say most times that one can point out on a bulletin list of signs and get active to stop a harmful threat. Or one people can recognize to easily. Also with people not wanting to get involved, it is funny how its always after the fact people say they wished they talked to the kid more, if at all, to find out anything going on in the persons life. Something very small can “break the camels back” if a lot of little things happened over a period of time, building up. As well as say, just being apathetic about life. And so on….could be anything. Anything at all.
I can’t believe people are surprised by this…he’s been posting “warnings” on his Facebook page for MONTHS, why didn’t one of his “friends” (he had 153 of them on there) call the cops???
I would have…
It’s like the person who says he might as well kill him/herself…would you wait for it to happen, or would you get help for him/her??
I live 15 minutes from where this horrible event happened. One of the best quotes came from a minister when he was asked what he would say at a candle light ceremony, how he would explain this.His answer was there IS no explanation for something like this. Parents, siblings, relatives and friends can’t make any more sense of this than he could.I liked this response: no platitudes, no explaining ANY of the pain away, instead facing it head on for everyone.I saw a town literally crippled by this. I also watched them come together to handle this nightmare.