Tragedy and Sadness in Red Lake
We sympathize with all who have been touched by the recent incident in the community of Red Lake.
It has been reported that the young perpetrator was socially withdrawn and voluntarily or involuntarily alienated (an outcast, if you will, who felt like he didn't belong in any popular group).
Yet, it also appears that there were many contributing factors. It has been reported that the young man was recently put on homebound study, being tutored at home. Research has shown that such long-term suspension or expulsion can have the effect of leaving youth less supervised than they would be in a school setting, and, as a consequence, expose youth, who are arguably already at high risk, to even more risk.
Why more at risk? We know that criminal activity and risky behavior tend to be highest during the day. Students who have been suspended or expelled or who have dropped out tend to have no one to supervise them. Thus, without anything constructive to do, the unsupervised students look for things to do–often involving thrill seeking, which can pose danger to themselves and others.
In the Red Lake tragedy, reports say that the youth had been teased, didn't fit in, and was expelled –possible contributors to the negative impressions that faculty and fellow students' had of him. Moreover, according to reports, last year school officials investigated the youth’s alleged plans to shoot up the school.
Several other possible contributing factors have been reported. The youth’s father committed suicide a few years ago. His mother is hospitalized with head injuries from an auto accident. He was living with his grandfather, who might have represented to this youth, a protector of the status quo (as a police officer) or seen as an unwilling provider of means–the firepower–to make one last proclamation.
Although there is much that we do not yet know about this tragedy, we should not be surprised if what we see here, as the evidence is gathered retrospectively, is a young boy who was trying to ask for help, but no one recognized his pleas, or the resources weren’t sufficiently available to respond to his needs.
To learn more about this tragedy, visit:
- Details of Minnesota Shooting Emerge (Education Week, March 22, 2005)
- FBI Offers Details in School Shooting (Kentucky.com, March 22, 2005)
Resources for Responding to and Preventing School Violence and Suicide:
Safe Schools/Healthy Students E-mail Update (March 24, 2005)
In the wake of the recent school shooting and suicide in Minnesota, a number of resources are now available to help schools and communities respond to and help prevent violent events in their local communities. The SS/HS national Web site provides links to:
- Traumatic Events and Disasters Resources
- Suicide Prevention Resources
- School-Based Crisis Response and Planning Resources
Please visit http://www.sshs.samhsa.gov/resources/PreventingViolence.aspx to access these valuable materials. Feel free to share them with family, friends, colleagues, and anyone else whom you feel may be affected by these tragic events.
RAND Center for Domestic and International Health Security: Helping Children Cope with Violence: A School-Based Program that Work
Page Updated: March 24, 2005
