TX - Gunman in Hijacked Mail Truck, multiple victims, Midland/Odessa, 31 August 2019

[MsBetsy]

Some mass murderers, specially incel types, may have lower than normal testosterone levels, making them unable to think clearly or act confidently.

This needs proper research.

That's interesting.
They do need to do more research.
Many studies are done on men who have committed violent crimes, to determine whether or not they have increased levels of testosterone.
It would be interesting to see if lower than normal levels have any affect on mood or behavior. IMO

 

[BradB]

It does come down to choices but if anybody is convinced violence is the answer how are you able to stop that? Force them to attend therapy? I dont see how society can stop these things. There is absolutely nothing anybody can do to prevent somebody from going off.

 

[fred&edna]

I believe Heavy.com mentioned his parents' divorce when he was pre-teen. So how was his upbringing? How much influence did one or both parents have on him? Was he angry that he no longer had a father available or only an
absentee father?
Seems to me many mass shooters are angry
boys who grow into angry men with guns.
Why are these boys/men so angry?

I have no sources to provide, this is just my very simple thoughts.

Males with high (or low) testosterone.

Time on their hands.

Low, small number of friends

Obtaining firearms/ammo over a period of time (didn't purchase day before)

Feelings of anger (and possible feelings of social isolation -self-imposed or not)

Family problems?

Mental illness?

ETA:. Drug obuse

Unable to control thoughts/feelings which is so severe they seek retribution AND inflict vengeance on humanity. Kill.

Please feel free to add/dispute. I'm not all that smart but I am a member of society - as is everyone here. What can we see and do to explain AND remedy?

JMO and all that usual stuff

 

[Lillymac]

Yeah, I think we're missing some of that story. LE can't find the address so they just shrug it off? I don't think so.

Likely doesn't matter now anyway. I don't think that one visit by LE would've set his life on a different track.

jmo

After thinking about it, the neighbor may not have wanted him to know she had called the police. Maybe fearful of him knowing. I think I would be.

 

[Inthedetails]

It does come down to choices but if anybody is convinced violence is the answer how are you able to stop that? Force them to attend therapy? I dont see how society can stop these things. There is absolutely nothing anybody can do to prevent somebody from going off.

Personally, I think there is hope. One area is in early childhood. Something is "off" about many of these killers at a young age. What can be done early to get the kids on the right path, not just passed along? Surely something. It's the basic, core function of a culture to raise healthy, productive people. We should put most of our attention on this, imo.

And for adults, I think we can do better by others in stress and distress. Ignoring people, ostracizing people, assuming they need to be locked up and/or drugged up...all of that isn't working and perhaps we could do something else. What? I don't know! But, I do have hope for progress....eventually. We aren't there yet. In fact, it seems like we are rather barbaric in our approach - just wait for violence and then kill or lock the perps up.

I think the answer is in making change....if we have the guts to change.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

I have no sources to provide, this is just my very simple thoughts.

Males with high (or low) testosterone.

Time on their hands.

Low, small number of friends

Obtaining firearms/ammo over a period of time (didn't purchase day before)

Feelings of anger (and possible feelings of social isolation -self-imposed or not)

Family problems?

Mental illness?

ETA:. Drug obuse

Unable to control thoughts/feelings which is so severe they seek retribution AND inflict vengeance on humanity. Kill.

Please feel free to add/dispute. I'm not all that smart but I am a member of society - as is everyone here. What can we see and do to explain AND remedy?

JMO and all that usual stuff

I think the item on your great list, 'Time on their hands" is a crucial one. There isn't one thing that is the problem, but several things....about "time on their hands" has got to be considered.

Not having something worthwhile to do is depressing, at minimum.

jmo

 

[fred&edna]

I think the item on your great list, 'Time on their hands" is a crucial one. There isn't one thing that is the problem, but several things....about "time on their hands" has got to be considered.

Not having something worthwhile to do is depressing, at minimum.

jmo

I agree.

My basic questions, I suppose... Why are these men SO angry they no longer value human life? Where do we find the answer??

 

[BradB]

I always believe there is hope. I believe you need responsibilities in life. You need to wake up and have a purpose. Deep down getting fired probably played a role in everything and getting pulled over for something so petty probably sent him over the edge where he lost hope.

But he still had a choice to find another job. Keep going. Not inflict harm on others but he didnt. He took a violent coward way out.

 

[Kubirai]

Because many grow up in broken or even abusive and unstable homes and do not hurt a fly.

It all comes down to choices.

If we consider the huge number of such "disadvantaged" young men in USA, the actual percentage who become mass murderers will probably be LESS than the much smaller "not disadvantaged" group.

In addition to choice, genetics and upbringing also factor in who could become an "American Psycho" type killer or Unabomber or Texas A&M shooter.

 

[kbpirate]

I always believe there is hope. I believe you need responsibilities in life. You need to wake up and have a purpose. Deep down getting fired probably played a role in everything and getting pulled over for something so petty probably sent him over the edge where he lost hope.

But he still had a choice to find another job. Keep going. Not inflict harm on others but he didnt. He took a violent coward way out.

Not to mention the trooper was about to walk up and see all the guns and ammo he had with him.

 

[Anance]

Old article from Time magazine explaining how the inventor of the AR-15 envisioned its use.

AR-15 Inventor's Family: This Was Meant to Be a Military Weapon

 

[margarita25]

I thought I had replied to someone else's post about the association between testosterone and violence.

There have been many studies that suggest testosterone or increased testosterone can lead to violence. In fact in many prison studies this was proven to be true.

So it is the theory that testosterone alone leads to violence that I was referring to. That's why I said if it were true than every man would be at risk.

I believe there are other factors involved. That's all.

At no point did I suggest anyone said that every man is violent.

Wow MsBetsy, I was going to say this exact same thing including citing the prison studies on testosterone. My previous posts about that in other threads haven’t been too popular.

Does this mean every man is a killer? Of course not. We know this.

Here is a personal anecdote I’ve thought about, some may giggle and find it irrelevant but iirc, the Bull Shark, which can infiltrate both fresh and salt water, has more testosterone than any living creature on earth, and is one of the top 3 shark species which is responsible for the most attacks.

(I learned that from the Discovery Channel eons ago, not sure if that information is still considered to be true but I would think so, moo.)

 

[enelram]

I have no sources to provide, this is just my very simple thoughts.

Males with high (or low) testosterone.

Time on their hands.

Low, small number of friends

Obtaining firearms/ammo over a period of time (didn't purchase day before)

Feelings of anger (and possible feelings of social isolation -self-imposed or not)

Family problems?

Mental illness?

ETA:. Drug obuse

Unable to control thoughts/feelings which is so severe they seek retribution AND inflict vengeance on humanity. Kill.

Please feel free to add/dispute. I'm not all that smart but I am a member of society - as is everyone here. What can we see and do to explain AND remedy?

JMO and all that usual stuff

JMO- don't throw rocks at me.
In his old booking photo I noticed his puffy eyelids like he was a pot smoker or other drug user. Studies have shown that long term pot or drug use DOES affect the amyglada gland in the brain which controls executive function, judgment and decision making.
Did he cope with his life problems using drugs? And/or Alcohol which lowers inhibition?
These are two factors I see over and over in these unexplained mass shootings- 3 actually-
1) drug use
2) alcohol use
3) chaotic, unstable childhood and absentee parents

 

[vertex11]

Seems to me he was a loser-- a ner do well- probably built up alot of rage and anger, blaming others for his problems----so he gets fired, a cop stops him, he has his assault weapon that he apparently takes with him, and bam, all that rage finally burst out and he did the horrible deed---- cops looking for a motive--- i think LE spends too much time on this issue: unless it is a terrorist killing, to me, the reason mass murders do what they do is that they are evil and full of hatred: they want to kill as many innocent people as possible. and that is exactly what they do. Looking for motive is a waste of time.

If you look hard enough you can always find something that pissed off the killer: could be his wife left him, he got fired, someone looked at him the wrong way: but those situations aren't really motives. what you have is a person who is primed to kill and is so full of rage he wants to take out as many people as possible.

This is absolutely spot on! Evil and narcissism are a deadly combination.

 

[enelram]

Wow MsBetsy, I was going to say this exact same thing including citing the prison studies on testosterone. My previous posts about that in other threads haven’t been too popular.

Does this mean every man is a killer? Of course not. We know this.

Here is a personal anecdote I’ve thought about, some may giggle and find it irrelevant but iirc, the Bull Shark, which can infiltrate both fresh and salt water, has more testosterone than any living creature on earth, and is one of the top 3 shark species which is responsible for the most attacks.

(I learned that from the Discovery Channel eons ago, not sure if that information is still considered to be true but I would think so, moo.)

Well there may be something to your theory because we know from studies that as testosterone wanes, so does criminal behavior,
generally speaking. The ages of high T. is also correlated w/ high crime period in many males.

 

[Tricia]

Dear Everyone,

Please remember the only time we can use Reddit as a source is for their "Ask Me Anything" threads. Other than that please do not link to Reddit posts. We have no way of confirming what they are saying is true.

Thanks,
Tricia

 

[MaryG12]

I have no sources to provide, this is just my very simple thoughts.

Males with high (or low) testosterone.

Time on their hands.

Low, small number of friends

Obtaining firearms/ammo over a period of time (didn't purchase day before)

Feelings of anger (and possible feelings of social isolation -self-imposed or not)

Family problems?

Mental illness?

ETA:. Drug obuse

Unable to control thoughts/feelings which is so severe they seek retribution AND inflict vengeance on humanity. Kill.

Please feel free to add/dispute. I'm not all that smart but I am a member of society - as is everyone here. What can we see and do to explain AND remedy?

JMO and all that usual stuff

it seems like a number of them are unemployed, too.

Unemployment and financial distress may lead to school shootings

Perhaps some of them are victims of the "hangout" culture in America?

Maybe too worried about having the opposite gender like them, or worried about having friends?

My experience is, if a guy does worry too much about wanting women to like them, that they are doing something (not mindfully) to drive away the female gender.

I don't think there is any one factor in mass shootings, I think it's a combination, depending upon the shooter's background.

 

[fred&edna]

JMO- don't throw rocks at me.
In his old booking photo I noticed his puffy eyelids like he was a pot smoker or other drug user. Studies have shown that long term pot or drug use DOES affect the amyglada gland in the brain which controls executive function, judgment and decision making.
Did he cope with his life problems using drugs? And/or Alcohol which lowers inhibition?
These are two factors I see over and over in these unexplained mass shootings- 3 actually-
1) drug use
2) alcohol use
3) chaotic, unstable childhood and absentee parents

Have most of the mass killers been found to be under the influence at the time of the shootings? Or have reported history of drug/alcohol abuse?

I support open discussion and I'm very anti-rock throwing ! Which reminds me... Do statistics show these killers have a history of violence?

 

[Betty P]

It does come down to choices but if anybody is convinced violence is the answer how are you able to stop that? Force them to attend therapy? I dont see how society can stop these things. There is absolutely nothing anybody can do to prevent somebody from going off.

JMO, keep people busy doing something productive,having a schedule, making them develop skills in how to get along with others and understand better what society expects of them. It won't work for people with severe or organic (medical) mental illness, but it can help people with anti-social personality disorder.

Many developed countries have policies to provide full employment for everyone who is able and of age. Make sure to provide everyone who can work with some kind of job with a living wage. If they have mental illness or personality disorder, make sure they have access to the care they need. Insecurity, inadequacy, fear of job and/or home loss, social isolation, etc. are all factors that can breed hostility and violence in some people.

JMO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"Perpetrators study other perpetrators and when one happens the most concerning amount of time is the week after," Peterson said. "People read about it online. They see the notoriety these people get."

She says an identifiable personal crisis typically precedes a mass shooting: "In the days, weeks, or months before the shooting there's a marked change in behavior and it's typically a suicidal crisis. So, about 80% we could identify were actively suicidal before they did this. And these really are suicides, of essence. They're horrific but the shooter typically dies."
The Violence Project tracks common traits found in mass shooters, warning signs and how to stop them

A closer look at mass shooters: Who are they and how do we stop them?

Laura Carno: Traumatized youth key to mass shootings

Extreme Risk Protection Orders Intended to Prevent Mass Shootings | Annals of Internal Medicine | American College of Physicians