REVISITING SANDY HOOK, PART II

I thought I would chat with you one more time about Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary School Active Shooter who summarily and stoneheartedly slaughtered 20-some children and adults and concomitantly destroyed the lives of scores of parents, grandparents, friend, and relatives of the victims.  Basically massacred a community.

I hinted at the end of Part I that perhaps a clue to why Lanza exploded into action on that particular day lies somewhere in who was his first victim – his mother.  Maybe we have minimized that fact in the past and perhaps that was a mistake.

THE MOTHER.  THE CLUES—

Clues that this man child would eventually bring horror upon his community abound.  And I know that hindsight is always optically clear, but the fact is that Lanza had planned “some sort” of cataclysmic event for years.  And, fact is, that kind of planning and research takes predictable forms.  Something I have written about many times in this blog site.

Planning Takes Predictable Steps.  

  • Lanza was forever on the internet,  Researching weapons, checking out other active shooting events.
  • He purchased weapons.
  • He asked disturbing questions to others about the school, weapons, ammunition, et al.
  • He purchased ammo.
  • I don’t know for certain, but once he decided that the elementary school would be his target, he performed drive-byes.  Walked through the grounds.
  • I don’t know for certain, but I would bet he also observed the comings and goings of students, school staff, and checked out the building’s security features.
  • I don’t know for certain, but I would bet that as the time for the “event” got closer and closer he became more and more fixated on what he was about to do.  He probably thought of nothing else.  It was the beginning and end of his world!
  • “Obsessed” people, especially mentally disturbed people with a history, reveal their obsession in their conversations, questions, actions.
  • “Obsessed” and disturbed people, if they are not verbalizing their obsession, go mute.  say nothing.  That, too, is a danger sign.
  • I do know this.  Adam Lanza stopped taking his Psychotropic Medication!

WHAT COULD HIS MOTHER HAVE DONE?

Once again, I know very little.  Maybe a little more than my average reader (if there is such a thing), only because I study these things and I am attuned to this kind of sick and violent mind because of my experience in law enforcement.    But I believe the evidence clearly points to the conclusion that anyone who cared to connect the dots and maybe ask a few relevant questions could have arrived only at one conclusion:  “this man-boy needs “help.”  Needs to be severed from his plans right now!  

This is and is not an indictment on his mother.  From what I understand, she loved Adam and wanted what was best for him, but I believe Adam terrorized the woman in such a way and in such a manner that she never checked his computer, never asked those crucial probing questions, never told anyone about the medication, at least told no one who could do anything about it.

Which is the saddest part of this story.  If only she would have—-

There are other facts and evidence.  Possibly Adam believed that his mother was about to try to get him institutionalized.    Maybe he thought his world was about to cave in on him.  No way to account for the elusive thoughts and fears of the unbalanced mind, especially one that existed in a dark, frightening prison cell rife with unnatural voices, the smashing of glass, the desperate barking of rabid dogs, hissing snakes and the clanking of chain against cold cement—

A LESSON WE CAN LEARN

I said it in Part I.  We likely will never know for sure why Adam killed those poor children.  But, mark my words, we will also never be able to stop the next Adam Lanza unless we relearn the lessons taught by one insane, lunatic maniac shooter after the other. These lessons are many, but, Hell’s Fire folks, the one inescapable lesson we can learn here is:

PARENTS, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, FELLOW STUDENTS:  Eighty-Eight percent of school and workplace violence such as this can be stopped if suspicious actions, threats, and signatures (Red Flags) of danger are reported.  We will never know if this event was one of the 12% that would have gone down even if the mother would have called Adam’s physician, psychiatrist.  Would have sought advise from law enforcement.

Who knows if the authorities would have also ignored the signs.  Done Nothing.

Thing is, like I said, we will never know—

Stay Safe,

The Hammer

 

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