Criminologists tell 60 Minutes that dismissing shooters as incomprehensible villains misses an opportunity to prevent the crime.
This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi examines a question that is increasingly being tested in American courtrooms: When a child carries out a mass school shooting, should a parent be held criminally responsible?That question has been unfolding most recently in Barrow County, Georgia, where prosecutors have charged Colin Gray, the father of a 14-year-old accused of killing four people at Apalachee High School in 2024.
Prosecutors allege that Gray ignored warning signs about his son's mental health and purchased the AR-style rifle used in the attack.The Georgia case follows another landmark prosecution in Michigan, where the parents of the shooter at Oxford High School were convicted in 2024 and sentenced to at least 10 years in prison. It marked one of the first times parents were held criminally liable for their child's role in a deadly school shooting.In both cases, investigators say there were clear warning signs before the violence â and that firearms were made accessible by parents.A pattern of despairCriminologists James Densley and Jillian Peterson have spent the past decade studying hundreds of mass shootings. They are co-founders of The Violence Prevention Project, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that researches mass violence and pathways to prevention.'These are not young people who are criminal masterminds,' Densley told 60 Minutes. 'These are crimes that are rooted in despair.'Through interviews with mass shooters and people who knew them, Densley and Peterson say they've identified recurring patterns: early trauma, abuse in the home, chronic bullying, and easy access to firearms. Many shooters, they say, were also influenced by online communities that reinforced violent thinking.'These things start to overwhelm that young person's character,' Densley said.The 'monster' mythPeterson argues that one obstacle to prevention is that society views perpetrators as 'monsters.''If you see it that way, there's really nothing we can do,' she said. Framing shooters as monsters, she argues, pushes communities toward hardened schools and active-shooter drills as primary solutions, rather than earlier intervention.But, she says, the typical shooter does not appear outwardly monstrous. He may be 'the kid sitting next to you in class' â someone who is struggling, suicidal, or immersed in harmful online spaces.By dismissing shooters as incomprehensible villains, Peterson says, families and communities may miss warning signs in the young people around them.In interviews with perpetrators, she consistently asked whether anyone could have stopped them.'Every person we talked to said yes,' Peterson said. 'One of them even said, 'I think anyone could have stopped me.''Prevention â and responsibilityThe researchers say prevention must start early: trauma screening in childhood, crisis intervention in schools, expanded school-based mental health services, and stronger suicide prevention efforts.'If you want to live, you're not going to do this,' Peterson said, emphasizing that many mass shooters are also suicidal.They also point to the role of online spaces where some young men find reinforcement for violent ideation â raising questions about the responsibility of social media companies.As for criminal charges against parents, Peterson believes they may become more common.'When a 15-year-old does something like this, they don't exist in a vacuum,' she said. 'They have people who are in charge of them.'Photos and footage courtesy of Storyful, Getty Images and AP.
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