Watch out for ‘leakage’: These are some clues students can look out for to help prevent school violence

Jan 08, 2025

News

To help avert potential school violence, students and staff need to know certain warning signs – and feel comfortable reporting them. But “the general public, they really don’t know what to look for,” said former FBI special agent and profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole, who has studied school shootings for more than 20 years. The clues can range from subtle to overt. And students are usually in the best position to notice concerning behavior from classmates, O’Toole said.

There are often warning signs when a person is on the path to commit a dangerous act, said Trish Kilpin, the executive director of Wisconsin Department of Justice Office. She spoke to CNN after a student opened fire at her Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin.

Mary Ellen O’Toole

Topics:

Forensic Investigations

Research Areas:

Dynamic patterns of criminal activity

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