Pace Paw Print

Media Credit: Associated Press Loyer D. Braden being escorted by police

School shootings have, for some reason, become popular in terms of releasing anger or making a statement. We have all heard about the two school shootings that have already occurred this year. Both of them could or could not have been prevented.

The first one, which occurred on April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech, was the largest school shooting in U.S. history. Just to refresh your memories, Seung Hui- Cho killed 32 people before committing suicide.

He left behind videos, letters, and more to give insight on his mental condition. While he was at Virginia Tech he was accused of stalking two females in 2005 and was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice (www.wikipedia.org).

In the recent school shooting that happened on Friday, Sept. 21 at Delaware State University at 1 a.m., two people were shot. A female, Shalita Middleton, 17, was shot in the abdomen and was taken to Chrisitiana Care hospital in Wilmington.

The other was a male, Nathaniel Pugh III, who was shot in the ankle and shattered two bones. Police have arrested 18 year old Loyer D. Braden for the shooting of the two students (www.cnn.com).

Many people have their opinions on ways to prevent school shootings and the reasons as to why people actually carry out the act of shooting another being.

There is no demographic profile of a school shooter. Some come from intact families, others come from broken homes. Some people were bullied, and some were bullying others. Some used drugs, and some didn't. There really are no distinct characteristics of people who commit such school crimes.

However, there are some things that could be applied to the behaviors and reasons behind a person who carries out these acts of violence.

Many times, these people have bad coping skills and are depressed as well. They usually come across a serious problem that causes them to "crack" and breakdown, where they feel that they must resort to shooting others to find a way out.

Most times, a person who has been accused of a school shooting has blamed it on other people, saying it was someone else's fault and they had to do it because of an exterior reason. They had probably previously communicated their thoughts and feelings before actually committing the crime.

When looking back, police and officials often find out that the shooter gave hints a long time before they actually committed the crime. Most people write letters or make a video.

After they commit these acts, the community realizes that there were warning signs. The student at Virginia Tech is an example. Fellow students and faculty knew that he had a problem.

They knew that he needed help and even so, no one really ever did anything about it. No one would like to hear about another incident of a school shooting so we, as students and faculty, have to take more action. Always remember that if someone sees or hears something they think is wrong or a bit off, it is always better to say something rather than to ignore it.

It will be beneficial for everyone. If a person needs help but is afraid to get it, you may be the person who ends up helping them by telling an authority figure that there is an issue.

Schools and campuses need to be more aware of what is going on and communicate with faculty and staff promptly. There should never be a time when something happens and it takes an hour for everyone to find out . The Virginia Tech student was walking around for almost 2 hours after his first shooting and the campus was not fully aware of what was going on. This should have never happened, and it was a wake up call for many campuses.

On Wed. Sept., 26, St. John's University in Queens had a student walking about with a Halloween mask and a .50 caliber rifle in his hand. St. John's just came up with a plan that they installed only a few weeks ago. They sent out mass e-mails and text messages to students notifying them of what was going on.

Like St. Johns, schools should come up with a plan similar to this where students will be notified immediately so that everyone is both aware and safe.

Many of us may think it won't ever happen to the school we are at, but one can ever really know. If you ever suspect something, say something. There is no harm in being aware of the people around you and what may be a possible threat to you and your fellow students.

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