Saturday, December 13, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Script Revised
Overall
This is a documentary about video games and their effects on school shootings. School shootings have been one of the serious crimes America is facing today.
For recent incidents, so far there have been 5 shootings on school ground in 2008.
In 2007, a student killed 33 people at Virginia Tech, which became the deadliest shooting in the history.
Another publicized incident happened in 1999. Two Columbine High School students killed 12 of their peers and a teacher, leaving 24 others injured, before committing suicides themselves. Columbine was surely the most infamous school massacre, but it wasn't the first one.
In 1966, Charles Whitman from the University of Texas went on a shooting rampage from the observation deck of the school building.
Major Shootings and its aftermath
Each of these incidents killed 15 or more people and wounded twenty or more. The three incidents are considered as some of the most violent shootings in U.S. History.
A questions on stereotypes
Since the first incident in 1966, there were 46 notable shootings, 36 of which became publicized in the media. In total, these shootings resulted in the deaths of 333 students and faculty members.
Many discussions were brought up about the killers. The media has targeted certain forms and figures of entertainment as cause for the killings. We, as the public, became very familiarized with these stories and formed general opinions and stereotypes about them. One of the more popular stereotypes is the connection between video games and the killers. How much has violent media effected the shooters?
Introduction to the main issue - Video games, Musicians and the shootings
Since Michael Carneal's Heath High School shooting, many news reporters have cited video games and films as the cause. Activist and former attorney Jack Thompson has criticized several video games, and filed lawsuits against numerous producers and game developers. Thompson argues that violent games have been used as “murder simulators” to rehearse the planned school massacres. According to him, in every school shooting, the kids who pull the trigger are video gamers. Thompson and many news reporters attacked video games for desensitizing younger gamers, and training them to become brutal killers.
List of media reports of school shooters with a history of video games:
Seung Hui Cho - Counter-Strike
Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold – Doom and Wolfenstein 3D
Michael Carneal – Doom, Quake and Mortal Kombat
Evan Ramsey – Doom (“Doom made me do it.”)
Steve Kazmierczak – Counter-Strike
The Washington Post reported that Seung Hui Cho enjoyed playing Counter-Strike. The Northwestern Herald and the New York Post stated that Steve Kazmierczak also played Counter-Strike. Eric Harris created his own “Harris Level” on Doom and shared it online. Marilyn Manson became public enemy number one due to his influence on the Columbine massacre. Michael Carneal was another school shooter who played Doom.
Evan Ramsey and the video games
In 2007, school shooter Evan Ramsey did an interview with Anderson Cooper titled, "In The Mind of a Killer," in which he blamed Doom for his actions. During the interview, Evan Ramsey revealed he had lost his sense of reality due to excessive amount of video gaming.
Interview with Anderson Cooper, CNN Transcript
COOPER: Let's just start from the day. How long in advance -- when did you start planning it? How long in advance of the shooting did you actually seriously start planning it?
EVAN RAMSEY, CONVICTED SCHOOL SHOOTER: About two weeks.
COOPER: What was the initial thought? I mean, when you first thought of it, what was the idea?
RAMSEY: I told myself I have to do something to get everybody to leave me alone. The first thing -- that thought that came to mind, and I took it and ran with it.
COOPER: To leave you alone because they had been picking on you?
RAMSEY: Yes.
COOPER: How were they picking on you?
RAMSEY: I have gotten beat up. I have been spit on, and I have been called names. I have had things thrown at me.
COOPER: When you walked into the school in the morning with that gun, did you have a list in your head of who you wanted to get, who you wanted to kill?
RAMSEY: There was a list of people that I wanted to shoot at. Keep in mind that I didn't understand how life worked at the time. I didn't know that, when you shoot somebody, they don't just get back up.
COOPER: What do you mean?
RAMSEY: I did not understand that if I -- like using myself in using an example, if I pull out a gun and shoot you, there's a good chance that you're not getting back up. You're going to bleed to death and die either right there or on the way to the hospital. And that part of reality didn't click, for whatever reason.
COOPER: I don't know. I think it's just probably hard for some people to believe that you didn't know, you know, dead is dead.
RAMSEY: I -- I based a lot of my knowledge solely on video games.
You shoot a guy in "Doom," and he gets back up. You have got to shoot the things in "Doom" eight or nine times before it dies. And I went with that concept on -- with -- from the video game and added it to life.
COOPER: What did it feel like to pull the trigger?
RAMSEY: I'm going to get what I want. These people -- I'm going to scare these people away. Nobody's going to pick on me. There won't be any more verbal or physical abuse from anybody.
COOPER: So, it felt like relief?
RAMSEY: Yes. There was great relief.
COOPER: What do you want people to know?
RAMSEY: What kids are going through, it's not that bad. I saw my treatment as so bad.
If I would have had somebody to sit down with and say, it's not that bad, you don't have to react this way, there's other means, that it might help somebody. It can always be worse, and it's always going to get better.
CBS News Report, 60 Minutes
Aside from Ramsey's apparent video game influence, there was another reason behind the shooting. In 2001, CBS News report, 60 Minutes, asked Ramsey, “Why did [you] decide to take a shotgun to school?
And Ramsey confesses, “My main objective of going into the high school was to check out, to commit suicide."
Before Ramsey became suicidal, he'd lived a tough life. When he was 7, his father was sent to jail, then his mother slipped into alcoholism. Ramsey and his siblings were shipped off to foster homes. Since the third grade, Ramsey has been through eleven foster homes, in which one of them he was sexually abused.
Psychiatrist Dr. John Smith, who examined Ramsey a few months after the murders, discovered that, following a lengthy depression, his first suicide attempt was at the age of 10. Ramsey's friend, Tiffany Gwinn, confirms the fact that he was depressed.
The focus of Ramsey's trial was domestic violence and mental instability. However, in an interview conducted a decade later after a shooting at SuccessTech Academy, Ramsey was suddenly very open about his relationship with video games, and the supposed influence they had had on his destructive actions.
Michael Carneal and video games
Shooter Michael Carneal was known to be a video game fanatic. Family members of his victims, lead by an attorney named Jack Thompson, filed a one hundred thirty million dollar lawsuit against Internet porn websites, video game developers, and producers of the 1995 film “The Basketball Diaries,” all of which were held responsible for the killer's actions. In the federal lawsuit Thompson claimed that video games trained Carneal to be a proficient killer and desensitized him to what he was doing.
The case was dismissed in 2001. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was "simply too far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom."
Seung Hui Cho and the video games
Another similar case was Seung Hui Cho's.
Insert NBC Interview of Jack Thompson 2:00
Charles Mesloh, Professor of Criminology at Florida Gulf Coast University, told NBC 2 News that he was shocked Cho could have killed 32 people with two handguns and an absence of expert training. When he heard Cho had killed 32, Mesloh immediately assumed that Cho must have used a shotgun or an assault rifle.
"I'm dumbfounded by the number of people he managed to kill with these weapons," said Mesloh, "The only thing I can figure is that he got close to them and he simply executed them." Mesloh said the killer performed like a trained professional, "He had a 60% fatality rate with handguns - that's unheard of given that 9 millimeters don't kill people instantly." Mesloh stated that the handguns Cho used, a Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol and Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol, were designed for "plinking at cans," not executing human beings.
Online news agency, Newsmax reports that “Virginia Tech mass murderer Seung Hui Cho honed his skill as a deadly marksman by playing violent video games.” The online source cites Washington Post Staff Writer, David Cho, who claims that “Several Korean youths who knew Seung Hui Cho from his high school days said he was a fan of violent video games, particularly a game called Counter-Strike.” Cho further states, “Playing these violent games can do more than help a player improve his skills, they can help transform him from a player to a killer, psychologists say.”
Seung Hui Cho / Counter-strike connection removal by Washington Post
Another online Columnist, Kyle Orland, posted an interesting finding on the previous article connecting Seung Hui Cho and Counterstrike. Orland was also aware of the Washington Post story. He discovered the online version of the same story was updated soon after, but without the portion of the article mentioning the Counterstrike connection. Orland followed up with David Cho of Washington Post, who was responsible for the original report. David Cho said the information was based on talks with high school acquaintances of Seung Hui Cho, who occasionally saw him playing during high school.
According to David Cho there was no solid proof that Seung Hui Cho continued playing Counterstrike throughout his university days. The killer's roommate reportedly witnessed him on the computer constantly writing, but never playing games. Additionally, David Cho claims that a group of Virginia Tech Counterstrike players he talked to had never heard of Seung Hui Cho, and that he hadn't ever attended any of the Counterstrike tournaments held on campus.
David Cho claims that “The Counterstrike connection was removed to make room for more recent, more relevant information.”
Here is a copy of the search warrant of Cho's personal belongings, obtained from CNN:
List:
Chain from top left closet shelf
Folding knife & combination padlock
Compaq computer from desktop
Assorted documents, notepads, writings from desktop
Combination lock
Dremel tool and case
Nine books, two notebooks, envelopes, from top shelf
Assorted books & pads from lower shelf
Compact discs from desktops
Items from desktop & drawers: winchester multi tool, 3 notebooks, mail, checks, credit card
Items from 2nd door: Kodak digital camera, Citibank statement
Two cases of compact discs from dresser top
Drive: Seagate: 80 Gb
Six sheets of green computer paper
Mirror with blue plastic housing
Dremel tool box with receipt
Dell Latitude service tag
On this list there are no video games, no video game consoles, no video game accessories – nothing at all video game-related in the killer’s room. The police obtained the killer's hard drives and CDs, but did not find any gaming software on them. What's more, there were no gaming consoles to be found in the entire dorm floor.
//
The List of articles:
Were video games to blame for massacre? By MSNBC
etc.
//
(Shows)
Jack Thompson's comments on Seung Hui Cho trained by video games.
Steve Kazmierczak and the video games
Steve Kazmierczak was another student connected to the game Counterstrike. According to the Northeastern Herald, Kazmierczak's roommates claimed that he would often play the game in question, but were quick to add that indulgence in this particular title is nothing unusual for dormitory halls.
In the eyes of media, another absurdity of their interpretation
Here's a headline from the New York Post: “College Killer Crazy for Vid Game.”
Similarities
Kazmierczak's case is very similar to that of Seung Hui Cho's: he was a student who'd endured a history of temporary mental illness in high school and had been treated at a psychiatric center. ((the Elk Grove Village Thresholds-Mary Hill House psychiatric center.)) ABC News reports that his behavior seemed to become more erratic in the weeks leading up to the shooting; it is believed he stopped taking his medication beforehand.
Possible withdrawal of prescription medicine, dependency of medicine / drastic change of behavior
Kazmierczak's girlfriend, Jessica Baty, confirmed that he was taking Xanax, an anti-anxiety medicine; Ambien, a sleep aid; and Prozac, an antidepressant, all of which were prescribed to him by a psychiatrist. Baty says that he stopped taking Prozac about three weeks prior to the shooting. She also claims that during their two-year relationship, she had never seen him display violent tendencies and expressed bewilderment over the cause of the rampage. She commented, "He was probably the nicest, most caring person ever."
Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold and video games
As mentioned earlier, Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold custom-made their own levels in Doom, and often played Wolfenstein 3D. However, many sources also reference the boys' fascination with the Oklahoma City Bombings. In both of their journal entries, Harris and Klebold often discussed the bombing and other violent events. Also included within their respective diaries were notes concerned with outdoing the Oklahoma City Bombing .
According to Dave Cullen of Slate Magazine, the “Columbine [shooting] was intended not primarily as a shooting at all, but as a bombing on a massive scale. If they hadn't been so bad at wiring the timers, the propane bombs they set in the cafeteria would have wiped out 600 people. ” Lead FBI Columbine investigator and clinical psychologist, Supervisory Special Agent Dwayne Fuselier, confirms that “Their vision was to create a nightmare so devastating and apocalyptic that the entire world would shudder at their power.”
As for the motives of killers, Fuselier and Michigan State University psychiatrist, Dr. Frank Ochberg, both state that “Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were radically different individuals with vastly different motives and opposite mental conditions.” Klebold was hotheaded, but also depressive and suicidal, often blaming himself for his problems. Harris was sweet, well-spoken, and nice, but, according to psychiatrists, a genuine psychopath.
"Psychopaths are not disoriented or out of touch with reality, nor do they experience the delusions, hallucinations, or intense subjective distress that characterize most other mental disorders," writes Dr. Robert Hare, in Without Conscience, the seminal book on the condition. "Unlike psychotic individuals, psychopaths are rational and aware of what they are doing and why. Their behavior is the result of choice, freely exercised."
Notes from Harris's website.
"YOU KNOW WHAT I HATE!!!? Cuuuuuuuuhntryyyyyyyyyy music!!! . . .
"YOU KNOW WHAT I HATE!!!? People who say that wrestling is real!! . . .
"YOU KNOW WHAT I HATE!!!? People who use the same word over and over again! . . . Read a f---in book or two, increase your vo-cab-u-lary f*ck*ng idiots."
"YOU KNOW WHAT I HATE!!!? STUPID PEOPLE!!! Why must so many people be so stupid!!? . . . YOU KNOW WHAT I HATE!!!? When people mispronounce words! and they dont even know it to, like acrosT, or eXspreso, pacific (specific), or 2 pAck. learn to speak correctly you morons.
YOU KNOW WHAT I HATE!!!? STAR WARS FANS!!! GET A FaaaaaaRIGIN LIFE YOU BORING GEEEEEKS!
“These are the rantings of someone with a messianic-grade superiority complex, out to punish the entire human race for its appalling inferiority. It may look like hate, but it's more about demeaning other people.” --Dr. Robert Hare.
Even before the shooting, Harris' mental condition had been a thing of concern. He had been taking the antidepressant Zoloft, and toxicology reports confirmed that Luvox, another type of antidepressant, was in his system during the shooting.
Overall
Along with these five incidents, there is also no clear indication in the other 41 notable school shootings that video games had in any way been their direct cause.
But Jack Thompson would give you a different answer:
//Insert NBC Interview with Jack Thompson. “I know it's a theory. When does it apply to” “Well, he's a fourth year student in Virginia Tech.” “80 percent of college students are playing the video game.”
//
Comparison between video game sales and crime rate
It is easy to assume that the availability of video games has led to an epidemic of youth violence. But according to Federal Crime Statistics, the rate of violent crimes committed by juveniles in the United States is at a 30-year low. Several reports prove this fact: In the 2006 National Report from Juvenile Offenders and Victims, The Growth and Decline in Violent Crimes by juveniles between 1980 and 2004 reached its peak in 1994, then declined suddenly and drastically, and continued to do so until 2006. The University of Virginia, School of Education, which reports on Serious Violent Crime Rates in U.S. Schools, shows similar results: there was growth until 1994, and then a sharp decline that persisted until 2005.
While crime rates were declining, video game sales have risen considerably since 1990. Contrary to popular belief, the growth of the video game industry does not match up with the decline of the violent crimes in schools.
Opposite Reaction
Indeed, some of the school shooters were video gamers, but it is also a fact that 90 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls in the U.S. are video gamers. So, in reality, the majority of kids who play video games do not commit antisocial acts.
Some researchers find that people serving time for violent crimes typically consume less media before committing their crimes than the average person in the general population. MIT Professor, Henry Jenkins, states in his research article, Reality Bytes, that “The moral panic over violent video games is doubly harmful. It has led adult authorities to be more suspicious and hostile to many kids who already feel cut off from the system. It also misdirects energy away from eliminating the actual causes of youth violence and allows problems to continue to fester.”
Patrick Markey
Villanova University psychology professor Patrick Markey reveals his study on aggressive behavior linking to video games.
//
Insert Patrick Markey Interview
Patrick Markey says, “Cause aggression but very tiny.” “...vast majority of people are unaffected by it.”
//
End of it All
According to a 2001 U.S. Surgeon General's report, the strongest risk factors for school shootings centered on mental stability and the quality of home life, not media exposure.
A 2002 study by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education reported that, “There is no accurate or useful ‘profile’ of students who engaged in targeted school violence.”
Interview of Dawn Anna, former head volleyball coach of Columbine High School, and a mother of murdered student from Columbine Massacre.
“People are blaming guns. They're blaming school security, [for] being a joke. They're blaming the media, for giving notoriety to murders, and not to the victims. But there are many many many different reasons that we have school shootings. And that's why it's a difficult problem to solve. It's not a single solution, which is the reason it's not gonna solve over night.”
Insert Patrick Markey
“Symptom of trouble. They're dong the shootings, because they're angry at life.” “It is the person's fault for the shootings.”
Through this research, it has become quite apparent that the journalistic practice of blaming video games for school violence is nothing other than the hunt for a solution that can usually be found within the household.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Narration Script Updated
The overall view
For recent incidents, so far there have been 5 shootings on school ground in 2008. In 2007, a student killed 33 people at Virginia Tech, which became the most deadliest shooting in America. Another publicized incident happened in 1999. Two Columbine High School students killed 12 students and a teacher, leaving 24 others injured, before committing suicides themselves. Columbine was surely the most infamous school massacre, but it wasn't the first one. In 1966, Charles Whitman from University of Texas went on a shooting rampage from the observation deck of the University building.
Major Shootings and its aftermath
Virginia Tech, Columbine, University of Texas incidents each left 15+ dead, 20+ wounded. These three devastating shootings on school grounds are also considered as the most violent massacres in U.S. History.
A questions on stereotypes
Since the first incident in 1966, there had been 46 notable shootings, 36 of which became publicly renowned. 333 people had died due to the crimes. Many discussion have made about the killers. The media have made accusations on why the individuals made such drastic actions. We, as public, became very familiarized with the stories and formed a general opinions / stereotypes about them. One of the popularized stereotypes is the relationship between the media and the killers. Is it really true?
Introduction to the main issue - Video games, Musicians and the shootings
Since the Columbine incident, many have blamed video games and musicians for the cause of the shootings. Many attacked video games for desensitizing younger gamers, so they're training the gamers to be effective killers.
List of killers who played video games:
Seung Hui Cho - Counterstrike
Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold – Doom and Wolfenstein 3D
Michael Carneal – Doom, Quake and Mortal Kombat
Evan Ramsey – Doom (“Doom made me do it.”)
Overall - media and the shootings
From the previous school shootings, several killers were reported that their actions were reflection of their favorite activities, video games, which lead them to carry on in real life. Seung Hui Cho was reported by The Washington Post that he enjoyed playing Counter-Strike. Eric Harris created his own “Harris Level” on Doom and shared it with others online. Marilyn Manson became the public enemy for influencing Eric Harris on his shootings. Michael Carneal was also another school shooter who enjoyed playing video games.
Evan Ramsey and the video games
In 2007, Evan Ramsey did an interview with Anderson Cooper, titled "In The Mind of a Killer," in which he blamed Doom for his school shooting. During the interview, Evan Ramsey revealed that he had lost his sense of reality due to excessive amount of video gaming.
Interview with Anderson Cooper, CNN Transcript
COOPER: Let's just start from the day. How long in advance -- when did you start planning it? How long in advance of the shooting did you actually seriously start planning it?
EVAN RAMSEY, CONVICTED SCHOOL SHOOTER: About two weeks.
COOPER: What was the initial thought? I mean, when you first thought of it, what was the idea?
RAMSEY: I told myself I have to do something to get everybody to leave me alone. The first thing -- that thought that came to mind, and I took it and ran with it.
COOPER: To leave you alone because they had been picking on you?
RAMSEY: Yes.
COOPER: How were they picking on you?
RAMSEY: I have gotten beat up. I have been spit on, and I have been called names. I have had things thrown at me.
COOPER: When you walked into the school in the morning with that gun, did you have a list in your head of who you wanted to get, who you wanted to kill?
RAMSEY: There was a list of people that I wanted to shoot at. Keep in mind that I didn't understand how life worked at the time. I didn't know that, when you shoot somebody, they don't just get back up.
COOPER: What do you mean?
RAMSEY: I did not understand that if I -- like using myself in using an example, if I pull out a gun and shoot you, there's a good chance that you're not getting back up. You're going to bleed to death and die either right there or on the way to the hospital. And that part of reality didn't click, for whatever reason.
COOPER: I don't know. I think it's just probably hard for some people to believe that you didn't know, you know, dead is dead.
RAMSEY: I -- I based a lot of my knowledge solely on video games.
You shoot a guy in "Doom," and he gets back up. You have got to shoot the things in "Doom" eight or nine times before it dies. And I went with that concept on -- with -- from the video game and added it to life.
COOPER: What did it feel like to pull the trigger?
RAMSEY: I'm going to get what I want. These people -- I'm going to scare these people away. Nobody's going to pick on me. There won't be any more verbal or physical abuse from anybody.
COOPER: So, it felt like relief?
RAMSEY: Yes. There was great relief.
COOPER: What do you want people to know?
RAMSEY: What kids are going through, it's not that bad. I saw my treatment as so bad.
If I would have had somebody to sit down with and say, it's not that bad, you don't have to react this way, there's other means, that it might help somebody. It can always be worse, and it's always going to get better.
CBS News Report, 60 Minutes
Aside from Evan Ramsey's video game influence, he had a real reason for the shooting. In 2001, CBS News report, 60 Minutes, asked Ramsey, “Why did [you] decide to take a shotgun to school?" And Ramsey confesses, “My main objective of going into the high school was to check out, to commit suicide."
Up until when Ramsey decided to commit a suicide, he had a tough life. When he was 7, his father was sent to prison, then his mother slipped into alcoholism. His siblings were shipped off to foster homes. Since third grade, he went to 11 different foster care, which in one of them he was sexually abused. Psychiatrist Dr. John Smith, who examined Evan a few months after the murders, discovered Ramsey's first attempted suicide was at age 10, and he had suffered depression for a long time. Ramsey's friend, Tiffany Gwinn, confirms the fact that he was depressed.
Ramsey's trial focused on domestic violence and his mental conditions, but an interview which was conducted almost a decade after the incident sheds a light into influence of video games. Attempted suicide which sprawled from influence of parental figures / domestic violence / bullied / unstable mental condition, depression / use of recreational drugs / poor academic performance now blames violent video games.
Michael Carneal and the video games
Michael Carneal was known to be a video game fanatic. After his school shooting, a group of family members of the victims filed a $130 million lawsuit against Internet porn websites, video game manufacturers, and makers / distributors of 1995 film “The Basketball Diaries” for being responsible for the killer's actions. Attorneys in the federal lawsuit claim that video games trained Carneal to be a proficient killer and desensitized him to what he was doing.
The case was dismissed in 2001. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was "simply too far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom."
Seung Hui Cho and the video games
Another similar connection between video games and precision of video gamers was made when Seung Hui Cho killed 32 people. Charles Mesloh, Professor of Criminology at Florida Gulf Coast University, told NBC 2 News that he was shocked Cho could have killed 32 people with two handguns and an absence of expert training. When he heard that Cho had killed 32, Mesloh immediately assumed that Cho must have used a shotgun or an assault rifle.
"I'm dumbfounded by the number of people he managed to kill with these weapons," said Mesloh, "The only thing I can figure is that he got close to them and he simply executed them." Mesloh said the killer performed like a trained professional, "He had a 60% fatality rate with handguns - that's unheard of given 9 millimeters don't kill people instantly," said Mesloh, stating that the handguns Cho used were designed for "plinking at cans," not executing human beings.
Online news agency, Newsmax reports “Virginia Tech mass murderer Cho Seung Hui honed his skill as a deadly marksman by playing violent video games.” The online source cites Washington Post Staff Writer, David Cho, that “Several Korean youths who knew Cho Seung Hui from his high school days said he was a fan of violent video games, particularly a game called “Counter-Strike,”” a hugely popular online game in which players join terrorism or counter-terrorism groups and try to shoot each other using all types of guns. And further states, “Playing these violent games can do more than help a player improve his skills, they can help transform him from a player to a killer, psychologists say.”
Seung Hui Cho / Counter-strike connection removal by Washington Post
Another online Columnist, Kyle Orland, posted an interesting founding on Virginia Tech shooting relating to the previous article connecting the Virginia Tech killer and the game Counter-strike. Orland also found a Washington Post story mentioning that the killer played Counter-Strike in high-school, then he discovered that the online version of the Post story was updated soon after, but with a portion of article mentioning the video game mysteriously disappeared. Orland followed up with David Cho of Washington Post, who was responsible for the original report. David Cho said the information was based on talks with some high school acquaintances of Seung Hui Cho, who occasionally saw him playing during high school.
The reporter Cho said there were no solid indication either way whether or not the killer continued to play during three-and-a-half years at college. The killer's roommate reportedly saw Cho on the computer constantly writing, not playing games. Then reporter goes on, adding that a group of Virginia Tech Counter-Strike players he talked to had never heard of Seung Hui Cho, and that he hadn't attended a recent Counter-Strike tournament held on campus.
The reporter Cho continues, “The Counter-Strike connection was removed to make room for more recent, more relevant information.”
Adding to this interesting article, I've obtained a copy of search warrant of Cho's personal belongings from CNN.
List:
Chain from top left closet shelf
Folding knife & combination padlock
Compaq computer from desktop
Assorted documents, notepads, writings from desktop
Combination lock
Dremel tool and case
Nine books, two notebooks, envelopes, from top shelf
Assorted books & pads from lower shelf
Compact discs from desktops
Items from desktop & drawers: winchester multi tool, 3 notebooks, mail, checks, credit card
Items from 2nd door: Kodak digital camera, Citibank statement
Two cases of compact discs from dresser top
Drive: Seagate: 80 Gb
Six sheets of green computer paper
Mirror with blue plastic housing
Dremel tool box with receipt
Dell Latitude service tag
Looking at the list, there are obviously no games, no consoles, no accessories, no game pads, software – nothing gaming related in the killer’s room. Additionally there were no gaming consoles anywhere in the overall dorm room.
The police obtained the killer's hard drives or CDs, but so far, the haven't reported that they found it. It appears that video games didn't immediately contributed to Seung-Hui’s rampage.
But the number of other reports that blames video games for Cho's killings is 7+
The List of articles:
Were video games to blame for massacre? By MSNBC
etc.
Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold and the video games
Like I mentioned earlier, Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold
For recent incidents, so far there have been 5 shootings on school ground in 2008. In 2007, a student killed 33 people at Virginia Tech, which became the most deadliest shooting in America. Another publicized incident happened in 1999. Two Columbine High School students killed 12 students and a teacher, leaving 24 others injured, before committing suicides themselves. Columbine was surely the most infamous school massacre, but it wasn't the first one. In 1966, Charles Whitman from University of Texas went on a shooting rampage from the observation deck of the University building.
Major Shootings and its aftermath
Virginia Tech, Columbine, University of Texas incidents each left 15+ dead, 20+ wounded. These three devastating shootings on school grounds are also considered as the most violent massacres in U.S. History.
A questions on stereotypes
Since the first incident in 1966, there had been 46 notable shootings, 36 of which became publicly renowned. 333 people had died due to the crimes. Many discussion have made about the killers. The media have made accusations on why the individuals made such drastic actions. We, as public, became very familiarized with the stories and formed a general opinions / stereotypes about them. One of the popularized stereotypes is the relationship between the media and the killers. Is it really true?
Introduction to the main issue - Video games, Musicians and the shootings
Since the Columbine incident, many have blamed video games and musicians for the cause of the shootings. Many attacked video games for desensitizing younger gamers, so they're training the gamers to be effective killers.
List of killers who played video games:
Seung Hui Cho - Counterstrike
Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold – Doom and Wolfenstein 3D
Michael Carneal – Doom, Quake and Mortal Kombat
Evan Ramsey – Doom (“Doom made me do it.”)
Overall - media and the shootings
From the previous school shootings, several killers were reported that their actions were reflection of their favorite activities, video games, which lead them to carry on in real life. Seung Hui Cho was reported by The Washington Post that he enjoyed playing Counter-Strike. Eric Harris created his own “Harris Level” on Doom and shared it with others online. Marilyn Manson became the public enemy for influencing Eric Harris on his shootings. Michael Carneal was also another school shooter who enjoyed playing video games.
Evan Ramsey and the video games
In 2007, Evan Ramsey did an interview with Anderson Cooper, titled "In The Mind of a Killer," in which he blamed Doom for his school shooting. During the interview, Evan Ramsey revealed that he had lost his sense of reality due to excessive amount of video gaming.
Interview with Anderson Cooper, CNN Transcript
COOPER: Let's just start from the day. How long in advance -- when did you start planning it? How long in advance of the shooting did you actually seriously start planning it?
EVAN RAMSEY, CONVICTED SCHOOL SHOOTER: About two weeks.
COOPER: What was the initial thought? I mean, when you first thought of it, what was the idea?
RAMSEY: I told myself I have to do something to get everybody to leave me alone. The first thing -- that thought that came to mind, and I took it and ran with it.
COOPER: To leave you alone because they had been picking on you?
RAMSEY: Yes.
COOPER: How were they picking on you?
RAMSEY: I have gotten beat up. I have been spit on, and I have been called names. I have had things thrown at me.
COOPER: When you walked into the school in the morning with that gun, did you have a list in your head of who you wanted to get, who you wanted to kill?
RAMSEY: There was a list of people that I wanted to shoot at. Keep in mind that I didn't understand how life worked at the time. I didn't know that, when you shoot somebody, they don't just get back up.
COOPER: What do you mean?
RAMSEY: I did not understand that if I -- like using myself in using an example, if I pull out a gun and shoot you, there's a good chance that you're not getting back up. You're going to bleed to death and die either right there or on the way to the hospital. And that part of reality didn't click, for whatever reason.
COOPER: I don't know. I think it's just probably hard for some people to believe that you didn't know, you know, dead is dead.
RAMSEY: I -- I based a lot of my knowledge solely on video games.
You shoot a guy in "Doom," and he gets back up. You have got to shoot the things in "Doom" eight or nine times before it dies. And I went with that concept on -- with -- from the video game and added it to life.
COOPER: What did it feel like to pull the trigger?
RAMSEY: I'm going to get what I want. These people -- I'm going to scare these people away. Nobody's going to pick on me. There won't be any more verbal or physical abuse from anybody.
COOPER: So, it felt like relief?
RAMSEY: Yes. There was great relief.
COOPER: What do you want people to know?
RAMSEY: What kids are going through, it's not that bad. I saw my treatment as so bad.
If I would have had somebody to sit down with and say, it's not that bad, you don't have to react this way, there's other means, that it might help somebody. It can always be worse, and it's always going to get better.
CBS News Report, 60 Minutes
Aside from Evan Ramsey's video game influence, he had a real reason for the shooting. In 2001, CBS News report, 60 Minutes, asked Ramsey, “Why did [you] decide to take a shotgun to school?" And Ramsey confesses, “My main objective of going into the high school was to check out, to commit suicide."
Up until when Ramsey decided to commit a suicide, he had a tough life. When he was 7, his father was sent to prison, then his mother slipped into alcoholism. His siblings were shipped off to foster homes. Since third grade, he went to 11 different foster care, which in one of them he was sexually abused. Psychiatrist Dr. John Smith, who examined Evan a few months after the murders, discovered Ramsey's first attempted suicide was at age 10, and he had suffered depression for a long time. Ramsey's friend, Tiffany Gwinn, confirms the fact that he was depressed.
Ramsey's trial focused on domestic violence and his mental conditions, but an interview which was conducted almost a decade after the incident sheds a light into influence of video games. Attempted suicide which sprawled from influence of parental figures / domestic violence / bullied / unstable mental condition, depression / use of recreational drugs / poor academic performance now blames violent video games.
Michael Carneal and the video games
Michael Carneal was known to be a video game fanatic. After his school shooting, a group of family members of the victims filed a $130 million lawsuit against Internet porn websites, video game manufacturers, and makers / distributors of 1995 film “The Basketball Diaries” for being responsible for the killer's actions. Attorneys in the federal lawsuit claim that video games trained Carneal to be a proficient killer and desensitized him to what he was doing.
The case was dismissed in 2001. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was "simply too far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom."
Seung Hui Cho and the video games
Another similar connection between video games and precision of video gamers was made when Seung Hui Cho killed 32 people. Charles Mesloh, Professor of Criminology at Florida Gulf Coast University, told NBC 2 News that he was shocked Cho could have killed 32 people with two handguns and an absence of expert training. When he heard that Cho had killed 32, Mesloh immediately assumed that Cho must have used a shotgun or an assault rifle.
"I'm dumbfounded by the number of people he managed to kill with these weapons," said Mesloh, "The only thing I can figure is that he got close to them and he simply executed them." Mesloh said the killer performed like a trained professional, "He had a 60% fatality rate with handguns - that's unheard of given 9 millimeters don't kill people instantly," said Mesloh, stating that the handguns Cho used were designed for "plinking at cans," not executing human beings.
Online news agency, Newsmax reports “Virginia Tech mass murderer Cho Seung Hui honed his skill as a deadly marksman by playing violent video games.” The online source cites Washington Post Staff Writer, David Cho, that “Several Korean youths who knew Cho Seung Hui from his high school days said he was a fan of violent video games, particularly a game called “Counter-Strike,”” a hugely popular online game in which players join terrorism or counter-terrorism groups and try to shoot each other using all types of guns. And further states, “Playing these violent games can do more than help a player improve his skills, they can help transform him from a player to a killer, psychologists say.”
Seung Hui Cho / Counter-strike connection removal by Washington Post
Another online Columnist, Kyle Orland, posted an interesting founding on Virginia Tech shooting relating to the previous article connecting the Virginia Tech killer and the game Counter-strike. Orland also found a Washington Post story mentioning that the killer played Counter-Strike in high-school, then he discovered that the online version of the Post story was updated soon after, but with a portion of article mentioning the video game mysteriously disappeared. Orland followed up with David Cho of Washington Post, who was responsible for the original report. David Cho said the information was based on talks with some high school acquaintances of Seung Hui Cho, who occasionally saw him playing during high school.
The reporter Cho said there were no solid indication either way whether or not the killer continued to play during three-and-a-half years at college. The killer's roommate reportedly saw Cho on the computer constantly writing, not playing games. Then reporter goes on, adding that a group of Virginia Tech Counter-Strike players he talked to had never heard of Seung Hui Cho, and that he hadn't attended a recent Counter-Strike tournament held on campus.
The reporter Cho continues, “The Counter-Strike connection was removed to make room for more recent, more relevant information.”
Adding to this interesting article, I've obtained a copy of search warrant of Cho's personal belongings from CNN.
List:
Chain from top left closet shelf
Folding knife & combination padlock
Compaq computer from desktop
Assorted documents, notepads, writings from desktop
Combination lock
Dremel tool and case
Nine books, two notebooks, envelopes, from top shelf
Assorted books & pads from lower shelf
Compact discs from desktops
Items from desktop & drawers: winchester multi tool, 3 notebooks, mail, checks, credit card
Items from 2nd door: Kodak digital camera, Citibank statement
Two cases of compact discs from dresser top
Drive: Seagate: 80 Gb
Six sheets of green computer paper
Mirror with blue plastic housing
Dremel tool box with receipt
Dell Latitude service tag
Looking at the list, there are obviously no games, no consoles, no accessories, no game pads, software – nothing gaming related in the killer’s room. Additionally there were no gaming consoles anywhere in the overall dorm room.
The police obtained the killer's hard drives or CDs, but so far, the haven't reported that they found it. It appears that video games didn't immediately contributed to Seung-Hui’s rampage.
But the number of other reports that blames video games for Cho's killings is 7+
The List of articles:
Were video games to blame for massacre? By MSNBC
etc.
Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold and the video games
Like I mentioned earlier, Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Reasons why each shootings happened
Shooters
Charles Whitman
Insanity.
In 1966, Whitman discussed his health concerns with University doctor, Jan Cochrun, who prescribed Valium and recommended he visit campus psychiatrist Maurice Dean Heatly. By the summer, Whitman was prescribed Dexedrine. it was revealed during the autopsy that Whitman had a cancerous glioblastoma tumor in the hypothalamus region of his brain. Some have theorized that it may have been pressed against the nearby amygdala, which can have an effect on fright/flight responses. This has led some neurologists to speculate that his medical condition was in some way responsible for the attacks, as well as his personal and social frames of reference.
Edward Charles Allaway
Insanity.
Five different mental health professionals diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. He presented a history of mental illness. He was committed to the California state mental hospital system, where he remains at Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino, as of 2007
Brenda Ann Spencer
Possible insanity / influence of drugs
The school was across the street from Spencer's house. She used a rifle that she had recently been given for Christmas by her father. When the six-hour incident ended and she was asked whom she wanted to shoot, she said, "I like red and blue jackets". When asked why, she shrugged and replied, "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day."She also said, "I had no reason for it, and it was just a lot of fun"; "It was just like shooting ducks in a pond"' and "[The children] looked like a herd of cows standing around; it was really easy pickings." At the time of the shootings, Brenda Ann Spencer was 16 years old.
In 2005, she claimed that she was drunk and under the influence of PCP, and that her father, Wallace Spencer, had sexually abused her as a child and that the state and her attorney conspired to hide her drug test results.
David F. Lawler
Lawler brought two family-owned pistols to the school in a blue duffel bag. He had received the ammunition for the shooting as a Christmas present.
Patrick Purdy
Insanity / Influence of Prescription Drugs
During the two years prior to the murders of the Stockton children, Purdy had been treated by psychiatrists who put him on the mind altering drugs Thorazine and Amitriptyline.
Gang Lu
Jealousy.
Months before the shootings, he wrote five letters explaining the reasons for his planned actions. According to university officials, four of the letters are in English and were intended to be sent to news organizations. One is in Chinese. The letters have not been released to the public. According to the university, Lu said in the letters that he was angry and jealous that his doctoral dissertation had not received a prestigious academic award. Linhua Shan, another student, had received the award.
Eric Houston
Wayne Lo
Loner / Socially unaccepted / Possible Hate crime /
Lo did not adjust well to the liberal college environment of Simon's Rock. Lo held views which were deemed racist, homophobic and anti-semitic by fellow students at the college. Lo steadily became more and more excluded by his fellow students.
Jamie Rouse
Barry Loukaitis
Unstable Mental condition, depression / frequently bullied in school / Possible influence of prescription drug
When Loukaitis was young, his father began an affair and his mother became increasingly distant and often spoke of suicide. She frequently implied that Barry would also have to kill himself, and had informed him that the date of the double-suicide would be on Valentine's Day of 1996. He had also suffered from clinical depression, a mental illness present in the last four generations of the Loukaitis and Phillips families. Loukaitis was widely believed to be frequently bullied in school, which impelled him to cause the murderous school rampage. Those who knew him claim that he complained of being beaten by other students, being sexually harassed, having his head repeatedly stuffed into toilets, and being held down while another student urinated on him. He was also taking Ritalin at the time of the shooting.
Jillian Robbins
Evan Ramsey
Lack of parental figures, guidance / Domestic Violence / Bullied at school / Unstable mental condition, depression
Ramsey's father was sent to prison when he was seven, and then his mother slipped into alcoholism. Ramsey and his siblings were then sent to foster homes, and in at least one he was sexually abused. Often, his own foster brothers would pay other students to beat him up as a sick game. He suffered from depression from as young as 10 and was contemplating suicide five years before the shootings. Ramsey was reportedly picked on frequently at school.
Luke Woodham
Possible Insanity / Influence of Satanism / Influence of prescription drug
Published reports say he was on Prozac. Minutes before his rampage, he gave a message to his friend stating that I killed because people like me are mistreated every day. I did this to show society, push us and we will push back. ... All throughout my life, I was ridiculed, always beaten, always hated. Can you, society, truly blame me for what I do? Yes, you will. ... It was not a cry for attention, it was not a cry for help. It was a scream in sheer agony saying that if you can't pry your eyes open, if I can't do it through pacifism, if I can't show you through the displaying of intelligence, then I will do it with a bullet." He pleaded insanity, but the jury rejected the insanity defense and instead found him guilty. During the trial, Woodham admitted to being a Satanist, and that he got the idea to commit the murders after his involvement in Satanism. According to Woodham, his friend Grant Boyette invited Woodham to join his Satanic group, known as "the Kroth."
Michael Carneal
bullied at school /
Because of his small frame, Carneal was frequently bullied. He would bring items to school and sell them in an attempt to make friends. Carneal's name was published in a middle school paper gossip column claiming that he had feelings for another male student. This led to name-calling, with students using names that referenced his supposed homosexuality. Carneal was reportedly on Ritalin. Weeks before the incident, Carneal stole a .38 handgun from his parents' room and attempted to sell it. A student took the gun, threatening to tell police if Carnael didn't give it to him. The student promised to pay Carneal later, but never did. In the weeks before the shooting, Carneal stole several firearms from both his own home and a friend's home. In early 1999, the parents of three victims represented by Jack Thompson filed a $33 million lawsuit against two Internet pornography sites, several computer game companies and makers and distributors of the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries. They claimed that media violence inspired Carneal and therefore should be held responsible. The case was dismissed in 2001. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was "simply too far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom."
Mitchell Johnson & Andrew Gordon
Possible influence of prescription drugs
From Jon Rappaport of the Truthseeker foundation: http://www.nfgcc.org/schoolviolence.htm A Doctor from Georgetown University commented on Network television that one of the boys had previously been treated for violent behavior.According to one report, the boys were believed to be on Ritilan. Guns were stolen from Golden's grandfather's house
Andrew Jerome Wurst
Kipland Philip Kinkel
influence of prescription drug
Kinkel had been prescribed both Prozac and Ritalin and had been attending “anger control classes”. Kinkel had a strong interest in guns and bombs from an early age. His father at first resisted this, but later signed his son up for gun safety courses, and bought him a .22 caliber rifle and eventually a 9mm Glock handgun. Expelled from school for possession of gun on school ground. Killed parents then went to school the next day and killed people.
Shawn Cooper
Cooper had been taking Ritalin when he fired the shotgun's rounds and was reported to be on a mix of antidepressants.
Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold
influence of prescription drug / fascination of previous terrorism, Oklahoma bombing
Eric Harris had been taking an antidepressant when he killed twelve classmates, a teacher and wounded 24 others before taking his own life in the bloodiest school massacre in history. Toxicology reports confirmed that Luvox, an antidepressant, was in Harris’ system. He had previously been on Zoloft. Harris was a fan of musical groups such as Rammstein, KMFDM, Orbital, and The Prodigy. Soon after the shooting, KMFDM posted material on their website condemning Harris and Klebold's violence and denying that their music had anything to do with it. Most notably, Marilyn Manson, whose group the boys didn't listen to, was scorned viciously by the media immediately following the attack. Because Harris and Klebold were both underage at the time, Robyn Anderson, an 18-year-old Columbine student and old friend of Klebold's, made a straw purchase of two shotguns and Hi-Point 995 Carbine for the pair.[14] Anderson was not charged for her part in the straw purchase in exchange for her cooperation with the investigation that followed the shootings. After illegally acquiring the weapons, Harris and Klebold sawed off the barrels of the shotguns, shortening the overall length to below 25 inches, a felony under the National Firearms Act. they wished to "outdo" these events. They mentioned how they would like to leave a lasting impression on the world with this kind of violence. In his journal, Harris mentioned his admiration of what he imagined to be Darwinian natural selection. He wrote that he would like to put everyone in a super Doom game and see to it that the weak die and the strong live. On the day of the massacre, Harris wore a white T-shirt with the words "NATURAL SELECTION" printed in black.
Thomas Solomon Jr
influence of prescription drugs / unstable mental state / jealousy over a girlfriend
CNN Reports That T.J. Solomon was on Ritalin. from his stepfather's gun cabinet. He had access to higher powered guns but for some reason these were the guns that he chose to use to kill. Dr. Eddy Regnier, a teacher of psychiatry at Harvard University and who was hired by defense attorneys to examine T.J. said that T.J. had suicidal thoughts and believed to hear voices giving him commands. “He heard voices telling him to do strange things, but they were robotic voices, not human voices,” said Dr. Regnier. “On the one side is this really nice guy, but on the other side is a kid harboring angry feelings, who had made two suicide attempts, who spent his time thinking of death. He’s bringing guns to school. He’s talking to friends, and what are they talking about? ‘I’m going to shoot you.’” T.J. talked about shooting people at school and showed off the guns his stepfather kept in the basement. One possible motive for the shooting was the breakup between him and his girlfriend. Another motive might've been revenge. Some of T.J.'s friends spoke of his resentment of Jason Cheek, a popular boy two years older who had lettered in three sports.
Dedrick Owens
Derrick Owens found a .32-caliber handgun in his uncle's home.
Charles Andrew "Andy" Williams Williams felt he was targeted for physical and emotional bullying in school. In an attempt to fit in, he began to spend time with a crowd of skateboarders. Williams was accepted within this peer group; however, at times, these individuals also teased or picked on him.
Jason Hoffman
influence of prescription drug / unstable mental condition
Jason Hoffman, at age 18, was on Effexor and Celexa, both antidepressants, when he wounded two teachers and three students at California's Granite Hills High School. Hoffman had also undergone an "anger management" program. He later committed suicide, hanging himself in his jail cell.
Former student 43-year-old, Peter Odighizuwa
Academic problems / Odighizuwa had withdrawn voluntarily due to poor academic performance.
James Sheets
Biswanath Halder
vengeance
62 year old former student vengence Halder accused Shawn Miller, a computer lab administrator, for hacking into his computer
John Jason McLaughlin
bullied
At his murder trial, it was claimed that McLaughlin had intended only to wound Bartell, whom he thought had been teasing him, by shooting Bartell in the shoulder. Rollins was supposedly not his intended target.
Jeffrey Weise
influence of prescription drugs / unstable mental condition
He was on 60 mg. of Prozac a day. He obtained a pistol from unknown source, killing his grandfather with it, then stole his grandfather's police-issued weapons. No motives, but his flash based animations show his violent behaviors.
Kenneth Bartley Jr.
James Newman
Duane Roger Morrison
Sexually assaulted girls
Eric Hainstock
bullied
Reports indicate Hainstock was repeatedly attacked and bullied by homophobic remarks. He perceived that teachers and the principal did nothing to help the matter, and somewhat even took part in the bullying themselves. On the day prior to the shooting, the school principal John Klang gave Hainstock a disciplinary warning for having tobacco on school grounds.
Charles Carl Roberts
He fantasized about molesting little kids. He confessed to his wife that he's guilty of molesting his relatives twenty years ago. He left suicide notes before the shooting.
Seung Hui Cho
influence of prescription drugs / mentally ill / vengeance towards unspecified / hatred against the riches
On June 12, 2007, Cho's family released his medical records to the panel, although the panel said that the records were not enough. The panel obtained additional information by court order. Like the perpetrators of both the Columbine and Jokela school massacres, Cho was prescribed the antidepressant drug Prozac prior to his rampage, a substance suspected by Peter Breggin and David Healy of leading to suicidal behaviors. The toxicology test from the official autopsy later showed that neither psychiatric nor any kind of illegal drugs were in his system during the time of the shooting. He bought his guns. He had been diagnosed with and was treated for a severe anxiety disorder in middle school and continued receiving therapy and special education support until his junior year of high school. While in college in 2005, Cho had been accused of stalking two female students and was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice
Loyer D. Braden
Asa H. Coon
no known motive
The shooting was prompted by Asa Coon being suspended for fighting with another student on the subject of God on the Monday two days before, in which he was reportedly saying "Fuck God!" and that Marilyn Manson is actually God.
Latina Williams
Cornelius Cheers
Brandon McInerney
hate crime / bullying / influence of domestic violence
McInerney's home life was also troubled, marked by domestic violence. His mother Kendra pleaded no contest to being under the influence of a narcotic, and she had a record of methamphetamine use. In 1993, Kendra alleged that her husband Bill shot her in the arm. In another incident, Bill McInerney pleaded no contest and served ten days in jail and 36 months' probation on a charge of corporal injury to a spouse after he choked his wife almost to unconsciousness after she accused him of stealing ADHD medication from her older son. Between 2000 and 2001, McInerney's father had contacted child protective services five times about concerns of the boy living with his mother. In 2001, he filed a restraining order against Kendra; by 2004 Brandon was living with his father as his mother had entered a drug rehabilitation program. Brandon's grades began dropping, and he became disruptive at school. McInerney shot King twice in the head using a handgun he took from his backpack.
Steven Kazmierczak
possible influence of prescription drugs (withdrawal) / previous unstable mental history
He graduated from Elk Grove High School in 1998, during which he was treated temporarily for mental illness at the Elk Grove Village Thresholds-Mary Hill House psychiatric center. ABC News reports that his behavior seemed to become more erratic in the weeks leading up to the shooting, and that it is believed he stopped taking medication beforehand. His girlfriend, Jessica Baty, confirmed that Kazmierczak was taking Xanax (anti-anxiety), Ambien (sleep aid), and Prozac (antidepressant), all of which were prescribed to him by a psychiatrist. She said that he stopped taking Prozac about three weeks prior to the February 14 shooting. She also said that, during their two-year courtship, she had never seen him display violent tendencies and she expressed bewilderment over the cause of the rampage. "He was anything but a monster," Baty said. "He was probably the nicest, most caring person ever."
Jamar Siler
Charles Whitman
Insanity.
In 1966, Whitman discussed his health concerns with University doctor, Jan Cochrun, who prescribed Valium and recommended he visit campus psychiatrist Maurice Dean Heatly. By the summer, Whitman was prescribed Dexedrine. it was revealed during the autopsy that Whitman had a cancerous glioblastoma tumor in the hypothalamus region of his brain. Some have theorized that it may have been pressed against the nearby amygdala, which can have an effect on fright/flight responses. This has led some neurologists to speculate that his medical condition was in some way responsible for the attacks, as well as his personal and social frames of reference.
Edward Charles Allaway
Insanity.
Five different mental health professionals diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. He presented a history of mental illness. He was committed to the California state mental hospital system, where he remains at Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino, as of 2007
Brenda Ann Spencer
Possible insanity / influence of drugs
The school was across the street from Spencer's house. She used a rifle that she had recently been given for Christmas by her father. When the six-hour incident ended and she was asked whom she wanted to shoot, she said, "I like red and blue jackets". When asked why, she shrugged and replied, "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day."She also said, "I had no reason for it, and it was just a lot of fun"; "It was just like shooting ducks in a pond"' and "[The children] looked like a herd of cows standing around; it was really easy pickings." At the time of the shootings, Brenda Ann Spencer was 16 years old.
In 2005, she claimed that she was drunk and under the influence of PCP, and that her father, Wallace Spencer, had sexually abused her as a child and that the state and her attorney conspired to hide her drug test results.
David F. Lawler
Lawler brought two family-owned pistols to the school in a blue duffel bag. He had received the ammunition for the shooting as a Christmas present.
Patrick Purdy
Insanity / Influence of Prescription Drugs
During the two years prior to the murders of the Stockton children, Purdy had been treated by psychiatrists who put him on the mind altering drugs Thorazine and Amitriptyline.
Gang Lu
Jealousy.
Months before the shootings, he wrote five letters explaining the reasons for his planned actions. According to university officials, four of the letters are in English and were intended to be sent to news organizations. One is in Chinese. The letters have not been released to the public. According to the university, Lu said in the letters that he was angry and jealous that his doctoral dissertation had not received a prestigious academic award. Linhua Shan, another student, had received the award.
Eric Houston
Wayne Lo
Loner / Socially unaccepted / Possible Hate crime /
Lo did not adjust well to the liberal college environment of Simon's Rock. Lo held views which were deemed racist, homophobic and anti-semitic by fellow students at the college. Lo steadily became more and more excluded by his fellow students.
Jamie Rouse
Barry Loukaitis
Unstable Mental condition, depression / frequently bullied in school / Possible influence of prescription drug
When Loukaitis was young, his father began an affair and his mother became increasingly distant and often spoke of suicide. She frequently implied that Barry would also have to kill himself, and had informed him that the date of the double-suicide would be on Valentine's Day of 1996. He had also suffered from clinical depression, a mental illness present in the last four generations of the Loukaitis and Phillips families. Loukaitis was widely believed to be frequently bullied in school, which impelled him to cause the murderous school rampage. Those who knew him claim that he complained of being beaten by other students, being sexually harassed, having his head repeatedly stuffed into toilets, and being held down while another student urinated on him. He was also taking Ritalin at the time of the shooting.
Jillian Robbins
Evan Ramsey
Lack of parental figures, guidance / Domestic Violence / Bullied at school / Unstable mental condition, depression
Ramsey's father was sent to prison when he was seven, and then his mother slipped into alcoholism. Ramsey and his siblings were then sent to foster homes, and in at least one he was sexually abused. Often, his own foster brothers would pay other students to beat him up as a sick game. He suffered from depression from as young as 10 and was contemplating suicide five years before the shootings. Ramsey was reportedly picked on frequently at school.
Luke Woodham
Possible Insanity / Influence of Satanism / Influence of prescription drug
Published reports say he was on Prozac. Minutes before his rampage, he gave a message to his friend stating that I killed because people like me are mistreated every day. I did this to show society, push us and we will push back. ... All throughout my life, I was ridiculed, always beaten, always hated. Can you, society, truly blame me for what I do? Yes, you will. ... It was not a cry for attention, it was not a cry for help. It was a scream in sheer agony saying that if you can't pry your eyes open, if I can't do it through pacifism, if I can't show you through the displaying of intelligence, then I will do it with a bullet." He pleaded insanity, but the jury rejected the insanity defense and instead found him guilty. During the trial, Woodham admitted to being a Satanist, and that he got the idea to commit the murders after his involvement in Satanism. According to Woodham, his friend Grant Boyette invited Woodham to join his Satanic group, known as "the Kroth."
Michael Carneal
bullied at school /
Because of his small frame, Carneal was frequently bullied. He would bring items to school and sell them in an attempt to make friends. Carneal's name was published in a middle school paper gossip column claiming that he had feelings for another male student. This led to name-calling, with students using names that referenced his supposed homosexuality. Carneal was reportedly on Ritalin. Weeks before the incident, Carneal stole a .38 handgun from his parents' room and attempted to sell it. A student took the gun, threatening to tell police if Carnael didn't give it to him. The student promised to pay Carneal later, but never did. In the weeks before the shooting, Carneal stole several firearms from both his own home and a friend's home. In early 1999, the parents of three victims represented by Jack Thompson filed a $33 million lawsuit against two Internet pornography sites, several computer game companies and makers and distributors of the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries. They claimed that media violence inspired Carneal and therefore should be held responsible. The case was dismissed in 2001. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was "simply too far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom."
Mitchell Johnson & Andrew Gordon
Possible influence of prescription drugs
From Jon Rappaport of the Truthseeker foundation: http://www.nfgcc.org/schoolviolence.htm A Doctor from Georgetown University commented on Network television that one of the boys had previously been treated for violent behavior.According to one report, the boys were believed to be on Ritilan. Guns were stolen from Golden's grandfather's house
Andrew Jerome Wurst
Kipland Philip Kinkel
influence of prescription drug
Kinkel had been prescribed both Prozac and Ritalin and had been attending “anger control classes”. Kinkel had a strong interest in guns and bombs from an early age. His father at first resisted this, but later signed his son up for gun safety courses, and bought him a .22 caliber rifle and eventually a 9mm Glock handgun. Expelled from school for possession of gun on school ground. Killed parents then went to school the next day and killed people.
Shawn Cooper
Cooper had been taking Ritalin when he fired the shotgun's rounds and was reported to be on a mix of antidepressants.
Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold
influence of prescription drug / fascination of previous terrorism, Oklahoma bombing
Eric Harris had been taking an antidepressant when he killed twelve classmates, a teacher and wounded 24 others before taking his own life in the bloodiest school massacre in history. Toxicology reports confirmed that Luvox, an antidepressant, was in Harris’ system. He had previously been on Zoloft. Harris was a fan of musical groups such as Rammstein, KMFDM, Orbital, and The Prodigy. Soon after the shooting, KMFDM posted material on their website condemning Harris and Klebold's violence and denying that their music had anything to do with it. Most notably, Marilyn Manson, whose group the boys didn't listen to, was scorned viciously by the media immediately following the attack. Because Harris and Klebold were both underage at the time, Robyn Anderson, an 18-year-old Columbine student and old friend of Klebold's, made a straw purchase of two shotguns and Hi-Point 995 Carbine for the pair.[14] Anderson was not charged for her part in the straw purchase in exchange for her cooperation with the investigation that followed the shootings. After illegally acquiring the weapons, Harris and Klebold sawed off the barrels of the shotguns, shortening the overall length to below 25 inches, a felony under the National Firearms Act. they wished to "outdo" these events. They mentioned how they would like to leave a lasting impression on the world with this kind of violence. In his journal, Harris mentioned his admiration of what he imagined to be Darwinian natural selection. He wrote that he would like to put everyone in a super Doom game and see to it that the weak die and the strong live. On the day of the massacre, Harris wore a white T-shirt with the words "NATURAL SELECTION" printed in black.
Thomas Solomon Jr
influence of prescription drugs / unstable mental state / jealousy over a girlfriend
CNN Reports That T.J. Solomon was on Ritalin. from his stepfather's gun cabinet. He had access to higher powered guns but for some reason these were the guns that he chose to use to kill. Dr. Eddy Regnier, a teacher of psychiatry at Harvard University and who was hired by defense attorneys to examine T.J. said that T.J. had suicidal thoughts and believed to hear voices giving him commands. “He heard voices telling him to do strange things, but they were robotic voices, not human voices,” said Dr. Regnier. “On the one side is this really nice guy, but on the other side is a kid harboring angry feelings, who had made two suicide attempts, who spent his time thinking of death. He’s bringing guns to school. He’s talking to friends, and what are they talking about? ‘I’m going to shoot you.’” T.J. talked about shooting people at school and showed off the guns his stepfather kept in the basement. One possible motive for the shooting was the breakup between him and his girlfriend. Another motive might've been revenge. Some of T.J.'s friends spoke of his resentment of Jason Cheek, a popular boy two years older who had lettered in three sports.
Dedrick Owens
Derrick Owens found a .32-caliber handgun in his uncle's home.
Charles Andrew "Andy" Williams Williams felt he was targeted for physical and emotional bullying in school. In an attempt to fit in, he began to spend time with a crowd of skateboarders. Williams was accepted within this peer group; however, at times, these individuals also teased or picked on him.
Jason Hoffman
influence of prescription drug / unstable mental condition
Jason Hoffman, at age 18, was on Effexor and Celexa, both antidepressants, when he wounded two teachers and three students at California's Granite Hills High School. Hoffman had also undergone an "anger management" program. He later committed suicide, hanging himself in his jail cell.
Former student 43-year-old, Peter Odighizuwa
Academic problems / Odighizuwa had withdrawn voluntarily due to poor academic performance.
James Sheets
Biswanath Halder
vengeance
62 year old former student vengence Halder accused Shawn Miller, a computer lab administrator, for hacking into his computer
John Jason McLaughlin
bullied
At his murder trial, it was claimed that McLaughlin had intended only to wound Bartell, whom he thought had been teasing him, by shooting Bartell in the shoulder. Rollins was supposedly not his intended target.
Jeffrey Weise
influence of prescription drugs / unstable mental condition
He was on 60 mg. of Prozac a day. He obtained a pistol from unknown source, killing his grandfather with it, then stole his grandfather's police-issued weapons. No motives, but his flash based animations show his violent behaviors.
Kenneth Bartley Jr.
James Newman
Duane Roger Morrison
Sexually assaulted girls
Eric Hainstock
bullied
Reports indicate Hainstock was repeatedly attacked and bullied by homophobic remarks. He perceived that teachers and the principal did nothing to help the matter, and somewhat even took part in the bullying themselves. On the day prior to the shooting, the school principal John Klang gave Hainstock a disciplinary warning for having tobacco on school grounds.
Charles Carl Roberts
He fantasized about molesting little kids. He confessed to his wife that he's guilty of molesting his relatives twenty years ago. He left suicide notes before the shooting.
Seung Hui Cho
influence of prescription drugs / mentally ill / vengeance towards unspecified / hatred against the riches
On June 12, 2007, Cho's family released his medical records to the panel, although the panel said that the records were not enough. The panel obtained additional information by court order. Like the perpetrators of both the Columbine and Jokela school massacres, Cho was prescribed the antidepressant drug Prozac prior to his rampage, a substance suspected by Peter Breggin and David Healy of leading to suicidal behaviors. The toxicology test from the official autopsy later showed that neither psychiatric nor any kind of illegal drugs were in his system during the time of the shooting. He bought his guns. He had been diagnosed with and was treated for a severe anxiety disorder in middle school and continued receiving therapy and special education support until his junior year of high school. While in college in 2005, Cho had been accused of stalking two female students and was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice
Loyer D. Braden
Asa H. Coon
no known motive
The shooting was prompted by Asa Coon being suspended for fighting with another student on the subject of God on the Monday two days before, in which he was reportedly saying "Fuck God!" and that Marilyn Manson is actually God.
Latina Williams
Cornelius Cheers
Brandon McInerney
hate crime / bullying / influence of domestic violence
McInerney's home life was also troubled, marked by domestic violence. His mother Kendra pleaded no contest to being under the influence of a narcotic, and she had a record of methamphetamine use. In 1993, Kendra alleged that her husband Bill shot her in the arm. In another incident, Bill McInerney pleaded no contest and served ten days in jail and 36 months' probation on a charge of corporal injury to a spouse after he choked his wife almost to unconsciousness after she accused him of stealing ADHD medication from her older son. Between 2000 and 2001, McInerney's father had contacted child protective services five times about concerns of the boy living with his mother. In 2001, he filed a restraining order against Kendra; by 2004 Brandon was living with his father as his mother had entered a drug rehabilitation program. Brandon's grades began dropping, and he became disruptive at school. McInerney shot King twice in the head using a handgun he took from his backpack.
Steven Kazmierczak
possible influence of prescription drugs (withdrawal) / previous unstable mental history
He graduated from Elk Grove High School in 1998, during which he was treated temporarily for mental illness at the Elk Grove Village Thresholds-Mary Hill House psychiatric center. ABC News reports that his behavior seemed to become more erratic in the weeks leading up to the shooting, and that it is believed he stopped taking medication beforehand. His girlfriend, Jessica Baty, confirmed that Kazmierczak was taking Xanax (anti-anxiety), Ambien (sleep aid), and Prozac (antidepressant), all of which were prescribed to him by a psychiatrist. She said that he stopped taking Prozac about three weeks prior to the February 14 shooting. She also said that, during their two-year courtship, she had never seen him display violent tendencies and she expressed bewilderment over the cause of the rampage. "He was anything but a monster," Baty said. "He was probably the nicest, most caring person ever."
Jamar Siler
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