Aurora, a personal scare

Aurora is miles from Littleton, Co., site of the Columbine High School shooting. (Photo: CNN)

On July 20, 2012 a lone gunman walked into a movie theater in Aurora, Co. and opened fire.

My best friend  lives in Aurora, six miles from the theater.

I was visiting my sister at the time and was asleep when the news broke. She knew how close my best friend and I were, so when she saw the news on what had happened she immediately woke me up.

I instantly grabbed my phone to call my best friend, but she did not answer. Eventually, she called me back to let me know she was safe. She said she had been invited to the premiere the day before, but turned it down to get some rest. She said she had a few friends at the theater, but they all made it out safe.

I am so grateful she turned down the invitation, but my heart still hurts for all those that were affected.

James Holmes, 24, killed 12 people and injured 58. He told police he was “the Joker,” a popular villain in the Batman series. According to CNN, Holmes propped open a rear exit door to get his weapons then returned in a gas mask and protective gear.

Police say Holmes purchased his weapons legally. (Photo credit: CNN)

I think mass shootings are on the rise. I do not know how to reduce them, but I believe someday we will figure out how to prevent them from happening.

Writers note: I left out the full name of my best friend per her request.

Survivor of Virginia Tech shooting shared her experience

Anderson was 19 when the shooting occurred. (Photo: KXII-TV)

On April 16th, 2007, the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history occurred at Virginia Tech.

The shooter took the lives of 32 people before he turned the gun on himself.

Kristina Anderson was shot three times when she arrived for her French class, and has used that experience to educate others.

Anderson shared the details of that tragic day in American history with emergency responders in Texoma, and said she hopes her experience can help emergency responders prepare for incidents involving active shooters.

One victim paralyzed in Florida State shooting

FSU students gathered for a vigil in honor of the victims. (MARK WALLHEISER/GETTY IMAGES)

In the middle of the night on Nov. 20, Florida State University graduate Myron May, opened fire in the campus library.

May struck three victims before police shot and killed him. Nathan Scott was hit in the leg and released days after the incident, while Elijah Velez received a minor wound from a bullet that grazed him and was released at the scene.

Farhan “Ronny” Ahmed, 21, still remains in the hospital in serious condition. He was shot three times, in which one wound to the back struck his spine and left him paralyzed.

John Thrasher, president of Florida State, said the school is working with Ahmed to make sure he graduates on time.

 

My perspective on this topic

Balloons surround a sign for Sandy Hook in Newtown, Conn. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In my class, JOUR 3380, we had to pick a topic that we find interesting for a class blog project. I picked this topic because I wanted to know what can be done to prevent these tragedies from happening.

In some of my readings, I have found that each individual who has committed a crime like this, has shown some signs of depression or other personality traits. Investigators have learned Adam Lanza showed signs of unusual behavior before he opened fire at Sandy Hook. If we could stop this before it happens, the argument about guns would not be as intense as it usually is and our country would not be so divided.

I hate seeing tragedies like these continue to happen. If there was some way we could help these people without them feeling singled out, we could stop them before they decide to hurt others or themselves.

I am not a government official or a therapist, but I think everyone can agree that we can do something to save the lives of many people.

New details revealed about Sandy Hook shooter

Adam Lanza, 20. (Photo credit: AP)

Two years after Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook, investigators revealed new details about why he did it.

Investigators found Lanza planned the attack and was obsessed with mass murders. He was a native of Newtown, Conn., and attended Sandy Hook when he was young.

The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission hopes the report will help government officials and citizens prevent these types of tragedies from occurring.

Sandy Hooks families meet with commission

Sandy Hook parents shared their stories from the tragedy.

Parents of the Sandy Hook victims met on Nov. 12 to discuss the tragedy that occurred almost two years ago.

The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission was formed to help the victims families, and shed some light on the type of help they need.

One important thing the commission discussed was forming a response team focused on the victims and their families.

Marysville community suffers another loss

Andrew Fryberg was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Andrew Fryberg, 15, passed away Friday, Nov. 7.

He was the last victim remaining in the hospital, two weeks after his cousin Jaylen Fryberg, opened fire in a Marysville, Wash. high school cafeteria.

With his passing, the total number of students who lost their lives increased to five. Jaylen shot Zoe Galasso, Gia Soriano, and Shaylee Chuckulnaskit before taking his own life.

Six students sustained gunshot wounds on Oct. 24. Nate Hatch is the only wounded student to survive the shooting. He was also Jaylen’s cousin.

Harvard researchers studied the frequency of mass shootings

A policeman stands guard outside a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., where a man opened fire and killed 12 people.

Harvard research showed that in the years 1982 to 2011, a mass shooting occurred on average every 200 days. Since 2011, they found mass shootings have occurred more often.

Researchers defined a mass shooting as an attack that occurred in a public place in which four or more people were murdered.

Harvard researchers graphed their findings by plotting each incident over the number of days that pass between them .

Mother Jones provided data for Harvard researchers. Senior editor of Mother Jones, Mark Follman, said he hopes findings like these will give the government an idea of how often these shootings occur and eventually lead to a way to prevent them.

Survivor of Marysville shooting returns home

Two weeks after Jaylen Fryberg opened fire in Marysville-Pilchuck High School cafeteria, the community received some positive news.

Nate Hatch, Fryberg’s cousin, was in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to the jaw. Out of the five victims, Hatch is the first one to be released from the hospital. Three victims have lost their lives.

Community members lined the school fences with flowers one day after the shooting. Jason Redmond/Reuters

Hatch was greeted by members of the community that lined the road to his home.

As Hatch returns home, another survivor, Andrew Fryberg, is in critical condition.

Another Life Lost in Marysville Shooting

Photo was taken from Shaylee Chuckulnaskit’s Facebook page.

One week after the most recent school shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, another teenage girl lost her life.

Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, died on Oct. 31. She was injured when Jaylen Fryberg opened fire in the school cafeteria. Fryberg shot five students before he took his own life.

Chuckulnaskit is the third victim that has died from her injuries.