Mass shooters study the 'blueprints' of previous tragedies


Experts who study mass shootings in the United States have found that would-be killers read up on those who came before them, signaling that "cultural contagion" is a factor behind their acts, The New York Times reports. Oregon community college shooter Christopher Harper Mercer, for example, had recently uploaded a video about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown; the shooter at Sandy Hook had previously studied Columbine and the 2011 Norway attack in which 77 were killed.
"If you blast the names and faces of the shooters on news stations and constantly repeat their names, there may be an inadvertent process of creating a blueprint," Dr. Deborah Weisbrot, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Stony Brook University, told The New York Times.
In Germany, a study found that of nine school shootings, three of the attackers "consciously imitated and emulated what happened in Columbine." Another study found that mass killings tend to "cluster," or quickly follow one another — between 1997 and 2013, it appeared that the highest risk of an attack came within two weeks after a shooting was on the news.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some regions in the U.S. are trying to intervene before killings can occur. In Los Angeles County, measures are in place for law enforcement, mental health departments, and educational institutions to recognize potentially dangerous behavior and act on it, stepping in when students are discovered with weapons or plans to carry out an attack. It's a fine line, however, navigating where the programs end and individual rights begin, especially when no crimes have yet been committed.
"The biggest problem we still deal with is underreaction to often blatant indicators that someone is moving on a pathway to violence," J. Kevin Cameron, an expert on mass shootings in the U.S., told the Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
5 low ratings cartoons about the Late Show cancellation
Cartoons Artists take on early warning signs, the Gen Z stare, and more
-
Connie Francis: Superstar of the early 1960s pop scene
In the Spotlight The 'Pretty Little Baby' and 'Stupid Cupid' singer has died aged 87
-
Crossword: July 26, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bail
Speed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrial
Speed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside home
speed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confession
speed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulder
speed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack