Forget "Run Hide Fight," Here's How We Help Prevent the Next School Shooting
Yesterday's mind-numbing tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Ulvede, Texas leaving 21 innocent people dead proves "Run-Hide-Fight" is not the answer.
Where was 10-year-old Javier Lopez, whose parents were at school two hours earlier to celebrate his award of a certificate for a job well done in the fourth grade, TO RUN when trapped in a classroom with a madman intent on killing him?
10-year-old Javier Lopez was one of 19 elementary school students savagely murdered in Ulveda, Texas on May 24, 2022, two days before the end of the school year.
Where was eight-year-old Uziyah Garcia supposed TO HIDE while frozen with fear by terrifying sounds that should never be heard in a school anywhere, ever?
The young life of Uziyah Garcia ended during another school shooting. Uziyah was just eight years old.
Just how was teacher Eva Mireles supposed TO FIGHT when caught off guard, chalk in hand in the middle of a lesson, confronted by a mass-killer armed with an AR-15 assault rifle?
Fourth-grade teacher Eva Mireles (pictured above), along with her fellow teacher Irma Garcia were killed at Robb Elementary. They join the ranks of too many other educators who have been visited by horrific acts of workplace violence in our schools.
Why RUN-HIDE-FIGHT does not work and signs to look for of possible impending disaster.
The myth of "run-hide-fight" as the answer to school shooting prevention is putting our children and teachers at risk. IT IS reactive. It assumes the position the shooter is already in the school, now what do we do? More troublesome, it brings with it a false sense of security that "we've had active shooter training, so we're protected."
UNTRUE.
Once the killer enters the school, we've lost the battle. Someone is going to get hurt. In yesterday's massacre at Robb Elementary, 21 someones were murdered. Many more are in the hospital fighting for life. Everyone present that day and each of their family members will be traumatized forever as a result of what happened at that little school in a small American town in southwest Texas.
The answer is PREVENTION, based on the following FACT:
MASS MURDERERS do not just SNAP.
They need time to mull over, plot and plan their attacks and assemble their weapons of mass destruction. As they do they GIVE OFF SIGNS we are missing or ignoring, which the FBI calls "Leakage of Violent Intent." Doing something in response to leakage of violent intent is how we stand the best opportunity to protect our schools.
The Red Flags
From Columbine to now Uvalde: School shooters infamously leak the same violent intent over and over again...Because they do, there are opportunities to do something about it so as to help prevent another tragedy from occurring.
Example: "Leakage of violent intent in real time"
These messages, along with photographs of his growing arsenal of murder weapons, were sent by the Robb Elementary School shooter to a teenaged girl in Los Angeles shortly before his attack. After exchanging gunfire with SWAT, America's latest "school shooter" was shot dead by SWAT, putting an end to his rampage.
More "Leakage of Violent Intent" in real time: A recent posting from the Ulveda School Shooter's Instagram Account. The killer, an 18 year old senior at Ulveda High School, published this photo showing off his growing cache of murder weapons.
So know we know the connection between Leakage of Violence intent and future killers.
Here’s a few RED FLAGS to look for (they may exhibit some or all):
They state that they relate to or admire past murderers.
They obsessively research, read about, and watch videos of mass shootings/bombings, i.e. Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, Santa Fe, STEM School Highlands Ranch and now Uvelde. They seem "excited" about what they’ve learned, and/or seem sympathetic to the killers.
They excitedly discuss what was learned about shooters/bombers. The 18-year-old Ulveda mass killer wore body armor, just like the 18-year-old mass killer had 10 days earlier at the Buffalo, NY TOPS Supermarket.
They make threat of violence and/or commit acts of violence.
They are bullies or were bullied.
They behave in a way that displays anger towards other people, or the world in general.
They dress up pretending to be a “hit man” or a “school shooter," as a "fun" thing to do.
They post their murder weapons/accessories on social media, i.e. pictures showing off their growing stockpile of guns, knives, magazines, large piles of bullets, assault rifles, body armor, black trenchcoat/duster, etc.
They make homemade pipe bombs, molotov cocktails, and other incendiary weapons.
They publish such social media commentary or send texts proclaiming: “I’m going to be the next school shooter” (You Tube, Parkland) or “children be afraid, I'm going to shoot an elementary school.” (Facebook, Uvelde)
They visit the dark web, 4-chan, etc. with complete access to the internet without supervision.
They walk around school in a black duster or trench coat, and/or all black, many times capped off with black combat boots. This is the uniform of the school shooter established 4/20/99 Columbine High School.
They tell you or someone else they want to, or are going, to commit an act of violence.
If you observe these signs, please report it. Contact the authorities and school officials via a phone call or a personal visit. Then follow-up with a certified letter. Do so preferably via return receipt requested or some other methodology that proves you reported it. Then follow up and keep following up until the matter is investigated.
-----
UPDATE: 5/25/22 at 2:00 pm: Texas Governor Gregg Abbott confirms the shooter posted on facebook just before his attack: "I'm going to shoot my grandmother" (then) "I've shot my grandmother" (then) "I'm going to shoot up a school"
Go to approx. 19:46 here:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st came SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL, Santa Fe, Texas
The catastrophe at Robb Elementary School came just four days after the fourth anniversary of the May 18, 2022 attack at Santa Fe High School, also located in Texas. The 17-year-old who confessed to murdering 10 at SFHS is in a psychiatric hospital, where he's been for the past two-plus years.
As today's mass shooter researches yesterday's, I cannot help but wonder if there had been a highly publicized SFHS trial showing there are consequences for murdering 10 people and wounding 13 others in a school, if it would have frightened the Ulveda shooter in some way.
Might he have worried he too could have been imprisoned acted as some kind of deterrent? Unfortunately, we'll never know.
And today is day 1468 since the SFHS tragedy with no trial date in sight.
I first met some of the family members directly impacted by the SFHS tragedy in 2018 at the WVPI's "From Columbine to Noblesville" 2 day event, held in July 2018 in Broward County. Broward County is home to Parkland High School where another of the nation's worst school shootings had occurred on February 14, 2018.
The WVPI rolled out the "3-3 Pledge" at that event. Here it is. Please take it. Prevention is the only solution.
Read more about the 3-3 Pledge here:
.