Episode 5: Forensic psychologist analyzes a school shooter’s manifesto and the attack at CVPA High was a ‘death of despair’.

Host: David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.

Guest: Dr. Jillian Peterson, forensic psychologist, professor, and executive director of The Violence Prevention Project Research Center.

I obtained exclusive access to the CVPA High School shooter’s manifesto from KMOV’s investigative reporting team. Last year, I narrated the documentary KMOV produced about this attack. Parts of the images are redacted because they name specific school staff members who are not aware they were targets during this school shooting.

Dr. Jillian Peterson and I discuss:

• Details of the manifesto.

• How this document is the same and different than other writings from mass shooters and school shooters.

• Reframing school shootings as ‘deaths of despair’ because the perpetrators commonly exhibit severe depression, attempted suicides prior, and a desire to die during these attacks.

• Suicide prevention programs may be more effective at preventing school shootings than security and fortification.

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