Consider these two recent shootings:
The first occurred on July 17 in a shopping mall in Greenwood, Indiana. It exhibits many of the classic characteristics of an American mass shooting. The shooter was young, white and male; he had obtained his weapons legally; and by the end of the episode, he was dead.
The shooter did not have an unusual history of violence or instability that would have raised red flags. His father and brother released a statement expressing their condolences to the victims, adding: “We have no reason to believe that Jonathan would ever engage in these extreme actions.”
In a photo released by the city of Greenwood, Jonathan Sapirman is a handsome, mild-looking kid. Yet on July 17, he took two rifles and a Glock pistol to the mall, along with more than 100 rounds of ammunition.
He spent an hour in a restroom preparing for his attack. Then he stepped into the food court and fired 24 shots, killing Pedro Pineda, 56, his wife, Rosa Pineda, 37, and Victor Gomez, 30. Two others were wounded.