A former top FBI profiler, Mary Ellen O’Toole, has warned that the recent shooting at Covenant School in Nashville, which claimed the lives of six people, could trigger copycat shooters due to the “contagion” effect, reports the Daily Mail.
The effect refers to how intense media attention on violent incidents, such as school shootings, can inspire copycat behavior in other areas of the country.
O’Toole recalled how the FBI’s first report on school shootings in 2000 showed that the copycat influence was powerful and influenced 18 cases studied.
She also highlighted how a shooter’s manifesto should not be released as it can encourage further violence. Following the Covenant School shooting, communities should remain vigilant for up to two weeks due to the potential for copycats, O’Toole added. “It was my opinion that they should not be released to the public – ever because it would influence other prospective shooters. They were never released but everything else about Columbine was.”
Nashville Police Chief John Drake says they uncovered a manifesto from the shooter: “There is right now a theory that we may be able to talk about later…”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) March 27, 2023
The current director of the forensic sciences program at George Mason University anticipated that the shooter’s computer, manifesto, and writings would make references to other shootings, adding that there would likely be evidence of “injustice collecting” themes, which is a common motivator for many of these shootings.
O’Toole urged school staff and police to be more vigilant in noting disturbing behavior in students following such incidents. Police have not yet revealed a motive for the Covenant School shooting, but Hale, the shooter, who identified as transgender, had a detailed manifesto and a map of the school, which were discovered in the family home.
Surveillance video showed that Hale drove her Honda Fit to the school, entered the building after shooting through the glass of the front doors and killed six people, including three students, a custodian, a substitute teacher, and the school head.
In light of O’Toole’s warning, Nashville residents and authorities should remain vigilant and aware of the potential for copycat incidents.
