Publication Date
12-2025
Degree Level
B.S.
Program
Honors
First Advisor
Tanya Grant
Second Advisor
Camille Langston
Document Type
Thesis
Medium
manuscript
Abstract
Over the past two decades, school shootings have increased in frequency and severity in the United States, leaving schools, families, and communities with long-lasting trauma. Despite experiencing school shootings for more than 20 years, protocols put in place regarding school shootings seem to only be reactive rather than proactively identifying and preventing the occurrence. The purpose of this thesis was to analyze behavioral patterns high school shooters tend to exhibit using multiple factors and propose potential preventative strategies to reduce the number of incidents. This study relies on secondary data analysis in which behavioral, mental, and environmental factors were examined in every case. Eight high school shooting cases were thoroughly examined, falling within the timeframe of 1999 to 2023, where each resulted in four or more fatalities/injuries. Specific demographics of each school shooter will be further researched, such as the shooter’s race, age, weapon access, mental health, previous behaviors prior to the attack, and social and academic status. Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory will be utilized to assist with the understanding of school shootings in order to come up with potentially successful prevention strategies. Few studies have analyzed the multiple factors that are looked at in this thesis to help determine what can be considered a red flag. This thesis contributes to the field by proposing prevention strategies as well as educating individuals from all social circles about what red flags to look out for when spotting a potential school shooter.
Recommended Citation
Martinez, Kayla, "Silent Cries: Analyzing the Psychological Profiles of High School Shooters" (2025). Honors Program Theses and Research Projects. 90.
https://commons.stmarytx.edu/honorstheses/90
Creative Commons License
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