Authorities should focus on prevention, helping victims recover from shooting
A public high school shooting occurred in suburban Ohio nearly two weeks ago, the attacker seriously injuring two students and killing three more. The gunman, 17-year-old T.J. Lane, fired ten shots in the Chardon High School cafeteria before being arrested by town police as he attempted to flee the scene.
Lane’s motives still remain unclear despite two weeks of investigation. The shooting is said to have been due to Lane’s mental state, and that neither drug use nor bullying contributed to his actions. Both of Lane’s parents have a record of domestic violence and various assault charges, leading prosecutors to believe that he was not in an emotionally stable condition at the time of the shooting. County Prosecutor David Joyce, who represented the state of Ohio during Lane’s detention hearing, described Lane as “someone who’s not well.”
Police searched Lane’s computer files and phone records in hopes of finding further indication of a motive but did not uncover any significant evidence. Those who knew were reportedly shocked to hear that he was behind the shooting, as Lane apparently showed no signs of emotional distress. Lane’s neighbor, Steve Sawczak, told the Associated Press that he was “stunned” and that “[Lane is] a normal kind of kid.” Lane’s juvenile record is mild, showing no patterned behavior of violence. Only arrested twice, Lane’s criminal history includes a fight with his uncle and “failure to control a motor vehicle.”
Though he was even-tempered in nature, it is unlikely that Lane did not display any behavior indicative of emotional distress in the months leading up to the shooting. A poem he posted to Facebook in December alludes to instability and contains images similar to the violence exhibited on Monday. Additionally, Lane attended Lake Academy Alternative School, a specialized institution for “at-risk” youths that is located about 15 miles west of Chardon. The school’s website states that its students “struggle with a variety of individual problems,” such as anger issues, mental health issues and delinquency. With a 6-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio and both a school psychologist and school counselor available to Lake Academy’s 55 students throughout the school day, it is doubtful that any warning signs of Lane’s mental instability went unnoticed.
While mental illness remains the most plausible reason for Lane to lash out, there are no justifications for his behavior. Determining Lane’s motives will not help resolve the events that occurred in Chardon. Trying to rationalize the decisions Lane made is unrealistic and potentially impossible; as psychologist Gregg Jantz said of the issue: “the bottom line is [that the actions of] a depressed teenager [are] especially hard to predict,” and even harder to understand. Tragedies like this force both victims and onlookers to grasp at reasons for why violence occurs. But in the end, the true effort should be paid to finding justice for the affected families and preparing as much as possible to prevent future incidents.
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