Media Coverage

Print and online coverage highlights

Convicted men on why murders spiked during 2020

James Densley and Jillian Peterson interviewed people who had been convicted of first- and second-degree murder or manslaughter for offenses that occurred in 2020 or 2021, in the hope of understanding the unprecedented hike in homicides.
National Criminal Justice Association, November 13, 2024   [ Read story ]

Georgia high school shooting shows how hard it can be to take action even after police see warning sign

Even if investigators don’t have enough evidence for an arrest, they can continually monitor students and help connect them to school- or community-based services or interventions.
The Conversation, September 6, 2024  [ Read story ]

Accused Georgia 14-year-old would be youngest mass school shooter since 1998

The alleged shooter’s youth, and his apparent ability to obtain an AR-15-style weapon, will likely amplify national debate over gun violence.
Washington Post, September 5, 2024  [ Read story ] 

How to stop mass shootings before they start

Apalachee High School in Georgia is the latest in a long list of school shootings. Here’s what experts say can help.
Vox News, September 5, 2024  [ Read story ]

A 20-year-old's perplexing place in the catalogue of American gunmen

Thomas Matthew Crooks evokes the profile of a mass shooter. Instead he fired at a former president.
Washington Post, July 21, 2024  [ Read story ]

From honors student to the gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump

Thomas Crooks was a brainy and quiet young man who built computers and won honors at school, impressing his teachers. Then he became a would-be assassin.
The New York Times, July 19, 2024  [ Read story ]

What so many high-profile shootings have in common

The Trump assassination attempt and many other public crimes in America are committed by isolated young men.
Vox, July 17, 2024  [ Read story ]

25 years of healing: How six Columbine survivors found life after trauma

From EMDR therapy to “sad-mom playlists,” these women have found a path through the darkness.
Women's Health, April 19, 2024  [ Read story ]

How Columbine shaped 25 years of school safety

It quickly became clear that the tragic event, in which 12 students and one teacher died, thrust the country into a new era, forever changing millions of American students’ sense of safety.
EducationWeek, April 17, 2024  [ Read story ]

Can these scientists stop America’s next mass shooting?

As the US reels from yet another gun rampage, two researchers are venturing where nobody has before: inside the minds of the killers.
The Times (UK), November 11, 2023  [ Read story ]

The signs were all there. Why did no one stop the Maine shooter?

Shortcomings in mental health treatment, weak laws and a reluctance to threaten personal liberties can derail even concerted attempts to thwart mass shootings.
The New York Times, November 2, 2023  [ Read story ]

Maine gunman is the latest mass shooter with a military background. Experts explain the connection.

A database compiled by The Violence Project shows that out of 195 mass shootings since 1966, 50 involved suspects who were veterans or people with military training.
CBS News, October 31, 2023  [ Read story ]

Red flag laws are the answer

A study of mass-shooting incidents over nearly six decades found that about 30% of the perpetrators had experienced psychotic symptoms. 
Bloomberg News, October 27, 2023  [ Read story ]

Mental illness and mass shootings

"We can think about intervention and prevention at many points along that pathway," says Dr. Jillian Peterson of The Violence Project.
MSNBC, October 27, 2023  [ Read story ]

A guide to understanding mass shootings in America

How do attacks like the one in Lewiston, Maine, fit into America’s larger gun violence crisis? Our team corrects some common misconceptions.
The Trace, October 26, 2023  [ Read story ]

74 people have been killed or injured by guns at American schools this year

One expert describes it as part of an "astronomical increase" in violence on school campuses in recent years.
National Public Radio, March 29, 2023  [ Read story ]

The mass shootings where stricter gun laws might have made a difference

If the key gun control proposals now being considered in Congress had been law since 1999, four gunmen younger than 21 would have been blocked from legally buying the rifles they used in mass shootings.
The New York Times, June 4, 2022  [ Read story ]

The “good guys with guns” keep failing to stop mass shootings

In the 10 years since Sandy Hook, “good guys with guns” have been present or quickly arrived at the scene of nearly every major mass shooting and failed to stop the gunman before he was able to take multiple lives.
Time Magazine, May 31, 2022  [ Read story ]

2 mass shootings — 1,700 miles apart but bound by startling similarities

The two tragedies happened on separate ends of the country and yet, both share similarities: how the violence was carried out, certain aspects of the suspects, and the ease in which the weapons were accessed.
National Public Radio, May 27, 2022  [ Read story ]

Two professors found what creates a mass shooter. Will politicians pay attention?

Mass shooters overwhelmingly fit a certain profile, say Jillian Peterson and James Densley, which means it’s possible to ID and treat them before they commit violence.
Politico, May 27, 2022  [ Read story ]

• WCCO Radio (September 5, 2024); What are the root causes of mass shootings like the one in Georgia on Wednesday?

• Pittsburgh NPR News (July 18, 2024); Mass shooters and political assassins often have similar profiles, expert says

• Minnesota Public Radio (April 11, 2024): Meet the Minnesota researchers working to prevent another mass shooting 
• BBC Woman's Hour (April 9, 2024): Parents jailed after son's mass shooting
• National Public Radio (March 14, 2024): 3 more people are charged in connection with the Super Bowl victory rally shooting
• KARE 11 (March 13, 2024): KARE 11 Investigates: New data shows assaults, weapons reports up in MN schools
• MPR News (February 23, 2024): BCA: "Disturbance" calls often most volatile for law enforcement officers
• USA Today (February 21, 2024): Houston church shooting revives claims on transgender shootings. Evidence shows they're false.
• Star Tribune (February 19, 2024): Suspect in shooting of Burnsville officers and medic had violent past, lost right to own guns
• New York Times (February 17, 2024): Young victims, young suspects: the Kansas City shooting and gun violence
• TBN (February 16, 2024): School shooters: How to stop the madness. A Dr. Phil news special.
• Bloomberg (February 16, 2024): Big business thinks mass shootings aren't its problem. It's wrong.
• First Post (January 5, 2024): 17-year-old behind shooting at Iowa school: Why are more adolescents picking up guns in the US?
• Newsweek (January 5, 2024): Dylan Butler transgender claims flood social media
• Associated Press (January 4, 2024): Police say 17-year-old killed sixth grader, wounded five in Perry, Iowa, school shooting
• History Behind News Podcast (December 6, 2023): Psychology & Lives of Mass Shooters
• NACU Podcast (September 13, 2023): Stopping the next mass shooting
• Slate - What Next (February 13, 2023): Mass Shooter Database: Perpetrators of these horrific crimes have a lot in common—including deep despair.
• Speaking of Psychology: American Psychological Association Podcast (October 5, 2022): How to stop mass shootings, with Jillian Peterson, PhD
• Sharon Says So (August 26, 2022): Here's Where It Gets Interesting: The Violence Project with Dr. Jillian Peterson
• Red Table Talk (June 16, 2022): 99% of Mass Shooters are Men
• NPR Morning Edition (May 30, 2022): 2 professors, tracking patterns, try to predict who might carry out a mass shooting
• The New Yorker Radio Hour (May 27, 2022): What Makes a Mass Shooter?
• Red, Blue, and Brady (June 25, 2021): Unpacking the Violence Project