Female Mass Shooters Are a Reality We Can't Afford to Ignore

When teaching others on threat assessment, I rely on post-incident analyses from past mass and targeted shootings, and show trainees and students photos of shooters from Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, and Marjorie Stoneman Douglas to prove a point. I don't caption the photos, yet every single time, those in attendance are able to identify the shooters by name. Sadly, they live in infamy, with some even having fan clubs on Discord and other social media sites. As an example, there is a group of youth, Columbiners, who admire the Columbine shooters to the extent they have their images tattooed on their bodies. They idolize the killers.

In a recent training, I showed attendees photos of several females who committed, or planned to commit, similar acts as the males identified above. Not a single attendee could identify any of the photos. In fact, some thought the females were victims rather than violent women.

The danger in this is that warning signs of dangerous females are missed or ignored, resulting in a greater likelihood of females slipping through the cracks and killing others in manners similar to the worst male perpetrators.

Three contributors to the misconception that females simply don't commit acts of mass or targeted violence are semantics, media, and sexism. Let's break that down. Related to semantics, people often utilize "mass," "rampage," and "targeted" killings interchangeably, which often leads to the exclusion of female shooter data from official counts because there tend to be fewer victims than the four or more needed to constitute a mass killing. This feeds right into media because coverage tends to focus on high-fatality, male-perpetrated incidents. Finally, sexism lends itself to the assumption that females who kill often do so under male influence or, when they do commit such acts, they are thought to be crimes of passion. All of this misinformation has led to warning signs being overlooked, resulting in tragedy.

What the Mind Can't Grasp

The possibility of a dangerous situation involving a female is often dismissed because we have been raised to believe that females don't commit school shootings. Kristy Gneiting, a teacher at Rigby Middle School, came face-to-face with a female student holding a gun, in the middle of a school day. The student had already shot three people, yet Ms. Gneiting's statement after the shooting was, "It was a little girl and my brain couldn't quite grasp that...I just knew when I saw that gun, I had to get the gun."

Gneiting's initial reaction reflected an ingrained misperception about the violent capabilities of females. She is a hero who eventually took action, but her initial confusion in the moment is an example of just how commonly real threats by females are missed and intervention opportunities are lost. Thankfully, she acted.

The Numbers Might Surprise You

Although less than 3% of mass shootings are committed by females, other data might surprise you: 25% of rampage and targeted attacks involve females and, when a male and female plan an attack together, historically the female is the primary planner virtually 100% of the time with males following their lead.

The No Notoriety movement, created by the parents of Alex Teves, who died in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting, is exactly the type of movement that takes the attention away from mass and targeted shooters. They do not deserve our attention. However, there are times when education lends itself to the necessity of naming perpetrators, such as when we want to be sure to prevent future tragedies.

The Truth About Female Perpetrators of Mass and Targeted Violence

There isn't enough space here to list all female mass and targeted killers, but I'd like to shed light on a few facts to make sure you have a full grasp of their capabilities, and potentially prevent future tragedies.

One of the first school shooters in the U.S. was Brenda Spencer, a 16-year-old girl who, in 1979, aimed a rifle toward Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, killed the principal and custodian, and injured eight children and a law enforcement officer. When asked why, she coldly replied, "I don't like Mondays." Other female-perpetrated rampage, mass, and targeted killings have taken place in schools, malls, the post office, Kraft Foods, the University of Alabama, YouTube headquarters, among other locations. In addition, numerous female-led shooting plots have been thwarted via tips and successful threat assessment.

When Law Enforcement Takes Action

Elizabeth Lecron made a pilgrimage to Columbine High School, exchanged communication with Charleston shooter Dylann Roof, and planned a mass killing at an upscale bar in my hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Thankfully, her plot was successfully thwarted when local law enforcement and the FBI gave credence to a tip they received from a friend of a male who reported that he was getting seemingly more violent and "changing" under Lecron's influence. A search of Lecron's apartment led to the discovery of instructions and materials to make pipe bombs, several weapons, ammunition, black powder, and dozens of screws, all which would have been used in the initial attack and a second one at a different location.

What's the Motivation?

Just like their male counterparts, female mess shooters seek fame, collect injustices, and wish to seek revenge; many are far too captivated with and knowledgeable of the Columbine attack. They also have high indications of suicidality. They are generally more like their male counterparts than different.

It is important to invest in research toward recognizing at-risk females to help prevent future rampages or targeted shootings. The first step is to understand these shootings and overcome sexism because incidents are growing in number. Regardless of gender, we must be vigilant about warning signs and report concerning behaviors of both males and females at risk of perpetrating devastating acts of violence. We must do all we can to thwart plots, even if that means going against sexist assumptions, media biases, and a lack of information on females' propensity for violence.

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