The shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland remains the most significant tragedy in any learning institution in the United States. The incident caused the most significant number of deaths from a single shooting in the country since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre that claimed 15 lives. Chuck et al. (2018) note that the incident caused 17 deaths and 14 severe injuries. Nikolas Cruz, the tragedy’s perpetrator, is a former Stoneman Douglas High School student expelled from the institution due to gross misconduct. He began firing at people from outside the school before proceeding into the compound and killing 12 of the victims (Chuck et al., 2018). At the time of the shooting, the culprit was a 19-years-old orphan living with a local family following his mother’s death earlier in November (Chuck et al., 2018). The management of the Dollar Tree chain store also revealed their knowledge of the perpetrator, stating that he previously worked for its Parkland branch. The Parkland shooting can be attributed to a vengeful student determined to punish the institution for expelling him.
Dangerousness Assessment
A dangerousness assessment is a fundamental aspect of both preventative and mitigative approaches to violence intervention. It analyzes the culprit to reveal the risk factors that predict their involvement in the act of violence. Cruz’s dangerousness properties can be deduced from the nature of the act, the weapon used, and emotional attitudes toward the victims. His ruthlessness is evident in the courage to shoot and kill more than one person. He shows no fear or remorse even after the first few shootings. According to Chuck et al. (2018), the culprit used an AR-15-style weapon, a lightweight semi-automatic version of the Colt AR-15 rifle. His friends and associates also portray him as an individual without emotions or empathy. Brandon Minoff, his former classmate, describes him as a person who “likes to do reckless stuff” (Chuck et al., 2018). Overall, Cruz’s lack of emotions, reckless regard for other people’s lives, and weapon choice portray him as a severe threat to people around him.
Mitigation Plan
School shootings can be categorized under disasters due to their impact on victims, the affected institutions, and society. According to Singh (2020), disasters constitute mishaps, calamities, catastrophes, and grave events that result in deaths, substantial suffering, and the mass destruction of property. Unlike natural disasters, which are direct consequences of anthropogenic factors and accidents, school shootings are caused by indiscipline, mischief, rage, and grudges. Most perpetrators of such crises have histories of emotional and psychological challenges, while others are fascinated by crime. A sustainable mitigation plan must include high preparedness, behavior control, and preventative measures.
Threat Identification and Assessment
This stage of the mitigation plan should be intended for preventative and restorative purposes. George (2020) maintains that risk identification is as important as mitigation because unidentified risks cannot be eradicated. Since the disaster manager lacks a monopoly of knowledge of potential violence in an institution, investigation enables them to identify and quantify such risks. According to Cawood and Corcoran (2019), potentially severe threats can be overcome by investigating unusual acts such as suggestive communication or suspicious behaviors. Thus, this stage of the violence mitigation process encompasses studying the institution, students, and staff members for potential advocacy for violence. It also involves investigating the institution’s current and past external stakeholders, such as students’ external associates. For mitigative purposes, the adopted risk identification strategy must prioritize working with law enforcers and government agencies to identify violence perpetrators. Disaster inquiry teams should use structured interviews to collect information on the culprits and other factors related to the event (see Table 1).
Table 1
Disaster Inquiry Form After School Shooting
| Introduction and Interview Personalization
Hello, and thank you for accepting our invitation to participate in this interview. The principal goal of the conversation is to gather as much information as possible. The collected data may lead to the identification and apprehension of the persons involved in the incident. Also, be informed that all your personal information and participation in this process will be strictly confidential. Thus, be free to answer the questions as honestly as possible. |
| Interview Questions
1. Would you kindly describe your location on the day of the incident? 2. What can you remember about this unfortunate incident? 3. Can you describe your proximity to the shooter’s location? 4. How much do you know the suspected culprits? 5. Were there any fears or speculations about the disaster before it happened? 6. Do you know anyone who may have been involved in the incident but has not been identified? 7. Did you witness any suspicious activities before the shooting? 8. Did you sustain any injuries? 9. How did your involvement in this tragedy affect your life in and outside the institution? 10. The institution has organized an emotional support program for all survivors. Do you subscribe to this idea? 11. Do you have any recommendations on how the school can help you overcome the trauma caused by witnessing the incident? |
| Session Summary |
| Closure
Once again, thank you for your participation. The school has gathered all the information needed to control the situation. The program aims to provide treatments and emotional support to all victims. We are also saddened by the lives lost and are working tirelessly to ensure justice is served. |
Mitigation and Response
Since incidents such as the Parkland shooting are consequences of impulsive reactions, they may be unpredictable in certain situations. Therefore, this mitigation model proposes an effective response to minimize injuries, deaths, and property destruction. According to Ahmed (2017), mitigation involves evaluating risks to minimize their impacts and likelihood of occurring. It also addresses all vulnerabilities and impairments that may encourage risks. Risk control should involve providing medical and emotional support to victims and their families in this scenario. Vulnerable institutions must have all emergency kits involving ambulances and related supplies. They should be located near health institutions for easy accessibility during emergencies. Schools should also have behavioral psychologists to guide and counsel the affected persons. These professionals may help prevent school shootings or minimize the resulting emotional damages. The former may be attained through behavior control to neutralize internal threats. On the other hand, the latter involves the professional management of post-traumatic stress disorder among victims. However, the most fundamental aspect of this plan is proximity to trained security professionals. Police officers and antiterrorist units should be accessible to vulnerable institutions. The accessibility of susceptible institutions minimizes the number of casualties and injuries by reducing the response time.
Conclusion
The Second Amendment allows US citizens to own guns for personal protection and hunting. However, it also makes it possible for unstable people to access dangerous firearms. Consequently, mass shootings have been part of the country’s problems for a long time. Incidents such as the Parkland shooting are direct consequences of the easy accessibility of weapons. Vulnerable institutions should implement both preventative and mitigative strategies.
References
Ahmed, R. (2017). Risk mitigation strategies in innovative projects. In. B. Llamas, F. L. Mazadiego, & M. D. S. De Gracia (Eds.), Key issues for management of innovative projects (pp. 83-100). Books on Demand. http://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.69004.
Cawood, J. S., & Corcoran, M. H. (2019). Violence assessment and intervention (3rd ed.). Taylor & Francis.
Chuck, E., Johnson, A., & Siemaszko, C. (2018, February 14). 17 killed in mass shooting at high school in Parkland, Florida. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-respond-shooting-parkland-florida-high-school-n848101
George, C. (2020). The essence of risk identification in project risk management: An overview. International Journal of Science and Research, 9(2), 973-978. https://doi.org/10.21275/SR20215023033.
Singh, Z. (2020). Disasters: Implications, mitigation, and preparedness. Indian Journal of Public Health, 64(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijph.IJPH_40_20.
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