Missed Signs of the Active Shooter

Why is it when an active shooter commits mass murder, some of the people that knew the shooter express surprise??Almost inevitably, when neighbors, friends, co-workers and family of the shooter are interviewed by the media they say things like, “He’s always been a quiet, nice young man. I never thought something like this would happen!”

Did they just miss the signs? Or, are there other possible explanations for them not seeing what many times, was right in front of them?

Over time and as further details are revealed, obvious signs and pre-attack behaviors begin to emerge and are shared by the media. People interviewed begin to remember concerning behaviors. But it’s too late. Again, why does this happen?

Maybe it’s because we live in a world of sensory overload with too many distractions for us to process what should be obvious, so we are selective in what we recall/react to. Or, maybe we simply trust people too much. I’m sure there are many reasons, but I want to focus on a couple in this article that are important to understand if we hope to be proactive in maximizing our and others’ personal safety.

One obvious reason could be denial. A person in denial refuses to accept reality. Psychology experts describe denial as being a defense mechanism that blocks external events from our awareness. A perpetual state of denial can prevent us from noticing obvious pre-attack behaviors of others. Then there are cognitive biases.

Cognitive biases are systematic errors in our thinking. They can have a profound effect on the way we interpret information and perceive things. Experts in this field estimate we have anywhere from 140-200 cognitive biases. These biases can impact our decision-making abilities, prevent us from seeing obvious signs of danger, and influence the way we respond to crisis situations.

One of these biases is optimism bias, a bias that generates the illusion of control. It can cause us to underestimate the likelihood of experiencing a harmful event. It says, “I know active shootings happen, but not in my town, not at my school, or not at my church.”

Another bias, normalcy bias, can lead people to diminish the consequences of an impending disaster. In other words, people with this bias underestimate the likelihood that a crisis event will impact them. You can see this bias in action when people refuse to vacate their homes when directly in the path of a category 5 hurricane.??

There are many reasons why people miss the obvious signs of the pre-attack behaviors of an active shooter. Learning about these reasons may be helpful in increasing our situational awareness level. Situational awareness doesn’t happen by accident. It must be intentional. Remember, you will miss what you don’t attend to.

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