[FoxNews] Retired FBI agent says threat assessments reveal missed intervention opportunities in case after case, regardless of perpetrator identity
As Americans grapple with yet another mass shooting perpetrated by a transgender individual, a broader national debate is unfolding over whether warning signs are being ignored and whether institutions charged with preventing violence are falling short.
A retired FBI agent says years of behavioral threat assessments reveal a troubling constant: in case after case, there was a point where someone could have stepped in — but the system failed to act.
The Rhode Island shooting has also fueled fresh debate over violent crime and gender identity, with several high-profile commentators questioning whether a pattern is emerging.
"Why are there so many violent trans shooters, and is #BigPharma fueling the violence?" Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy asked on X, framing her question around whether federal health officials are adequately studying mental health treatment, pharmaceutical use and hormone therapy in cases involving transgender suspects.
Campos-Duffy said she pressed Calley Means and the Department of Health and Human Services on what research, if any, is being conducted and what policies could be implemented "to find answers and end the carnage."
Radio host Clay Travis similarly cited several recent attacks and argued the "trans violence rate is off the charts."
Shootings frequently cited in the debate include:
2018 – Aberdeen, Maryland
Snochia Moseley, a transgender man, killed three co-workers at a Rite Aid distribution center before dying by suicide, authorities said.
2019 – Highlands Ranch, Colorado (STEM School Highlands Ranch)
Alec McKinney, a transgender student, and Devon Erickson carried out a school shooting that left one student dead and eight injured. McKinney told investigators bullying over gender identity was a factor.
2022 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Anderson Lee Aldrich, who authorities said identified as nonbinary, opened fire inside a LGBTQ+ nightclub, killing five people.
2023 – Nashville, Tennessee (Covenant School)
Audrey Hale, who police identified as a transgender man, killed six people, including three children.
2025 – Minneapolis, Minnesota (Annunciation Catholic Church)
Robin Westman, who authorities said identified as a transgender, killed two children during a church service before dying by suicide.
2026 – Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia
Jesse Van Rootselaar, who police say identified as trans, allegedly killed eight people, including five students and one teacher, before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
2026 – Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Robert Dorgan, who police say identified as a transgender, also known as Roberta Esposito, killed three people, including family members, before taking his own life.
Advocacy groups strongly reject claims that transgender identity is linked to mass violence.
GLAAD says there is "no evidence of escalating violence committed by LGBTQ people," citing Gun Violence Archive data showing that of 5,748 mass shootings recorded between Jan. 1, 2013, and Sept. 15, 2025, five confirmed perpetrators were transgender — representing less than 0.1% of incidents.
What percent of the general population is transgender — higher or lower than the percent of mass killers?
"Accusing people from a small and vulnerable community of mass shooting crimes is an effort to further dehumanize, demonize and promote fear about transgender and nonbinary people," the organization states.
Retired FBI agent Jason Pack cautioned against framing recent acts of violence through a political or demographic lens, instead urging a focus on systemic breakdowns in intervention.
"Whatever your views on gender identity, and Americans hold strong, sincere views on all sides of this, I think most people agree that every human being in crisis deserves intervention before tragedy strikes," Pack said.
From a law enforcement standpoint, he stressed that identity alone is not what threat assessment teams evaluate.
"Law enforcement and behavioral threat assessments don’t look at groups by identity alone. They never have. What they look at is individual behavior, individual history, individual warning signs," he explained.
According to Pack, investigators often uncover missed opportunities for intervention: warning comments that went unreported, mental health contacts that weren’t followed up, family members unsure where to turn, or school flags that stalled inside bureaucratic systems.
"That’s the pattern worth examining," he said. "Not who these individuals were demographically, but what failed them and what failed the public before they ever picked up a weapon."
Pack pointed to what he described as a recurring "crossing point" — a moment when authorities, schools or families could have acted but didn’t, whether due to underfunded threat assessment teams, unused red flag laws or crisis hotlines that failed to connect callers with help.
"The answer lies in fixing the pipeline that keeps failing and that protects everybody," he said.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman said there are often identifiable psychological patterns that precede acts of mass violence.
"The shooter’s trajectory to mass violence begins with having had a dysfunctional childhood, where they were abused or neglected," Lieberman said. She added that many later become isolated or bullied, immerse themselves in violent media, abuse substances or develop a belief that "no one likes them," which can deepen resentment and hatred toward others.
In her view, the tipping point often comes after a destabilizing life event.
"After they sink ever deeper into their own world, a traumatic event occurs that sets them off — such as a rejection, a breakup, the death of someone they care about, being fired from a job or another sudden event that shakes up their world and causes them to believe ‘the time is now’ to punish others," she said.
Lieberman echoed concerns about missed intervention opportunities, saying warning signs are often visible long before violence occurs.
"The first potential intervention is from parents who notice that their child is displaying unusual behavior, such as retreating into a shell with grades going downhill," she said. "Unfortunately, too many times, even when a person is brought to a mental health professional, the depth of their mental problems is missed and they are not treated sufficiently."
She argued that stronger early-intervention systems in schools, including increased access to school psychologists and continued crisis counseling, could help identify at-risk students before they escalate.
"There needs to be intervention systems set up in schools to identify kids with problems early on," Lieberman said.
When asked about public discussion surrounding suspects’ gender identity in some recent cases, Lieberman said she believes identity-related distress may play a role for some individuals.
"There is an increasing trend for some mass shooters to be trans," she said, attributing that in certain cases to what she described as intense self-loathing and anger — a view disputed by LGBTQ advocacy groups who cite national data showing transgender perpetrators represent a fraction of overall mass shooting cases.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
02/22/2026 08:55 ||
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Link ||
[1791 views]
Top|| File under: Nut Jobs
#3
They are crazy and drugged up. Those two factors may contribute. Also, Mass shooters get a lot of attention.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/22/2026 14:31 Comments ||
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#4
After almost every mass shooting I am aware of, there were signs that were missed and if caught or acted upon, might have prevented the shooting. Recognizing the 'red flags' and doing something will do far more to prevent mass shootings.
I have known, not closely, a couple of male to female trans who were happy, successful people.
#6
Nobody wants to be criticized as Transphobic, especially as you're getting gunned down by one. Bigot!
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/22/2026 15:40 Comments ||
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#7
@5 The same applies to the other fairly young mass shooters that aren't trans.
Most parents are blind to anything that might suggest that their child will be come a mass shooter.
In general, most of us think the criteria and threshold to be found a danger to self or others by a judge is rightfully high.
Combine the above two items, as well as the risk of being sued, is it any wonder the average teacher or school mental health professional isn't going to work toward getting the kid in front of a judge?
#8
@6 Lol. I happen to have a different view based on my own experiences and the little I've read, suggests that the trans community is being treated in a similar way to the gay community was decades ago.
And my views do not include allowing trans in the military, being allowed to complete against women in sports or to shower with female athletes
[WinningOverWokenessSubstack] We use words communicate but they don't do this. To a leftist words are purely tactical tools. You make noises with your mouth and then other people do things for you.
This makes sense. In tribal societies unlimited cruelty is the only winning strategy. Nothing governs inter-tribal relations, and because their existence is zero sum the people who end up with enough food to reproduce a lot are simply those who were more vicious towards their enemies. Mercy and weakness are the exact same thing and lead to your bloodline ending.
Evidence of massacres and genocides have been found by archaeologists at dig sites predating the first cities. Anthropologists who studied tribes before they were absorbed into modernity regularly remarked on their insane levels of violence. Raiding, feuding, honor killings and revenge killings were all common. In some groups up to a third of men died violently. This kind of total tribal warfare was still happening recently in places like Rwanda.
Christianity was revolutionary for European progress because it taught that it’s OK to forgive someone who wronged you and desirable to be the "good Samaritan" (i.e. to help members of other tribes).
#1
3D facial scans done at highway intersections (applying the 2D logic of scans with motion adding the 3D) and made available to drones by hacking of the cameras tied into drones in the area with AI decision making and lists of 3D faces wanted to have strokes could dynamically cause massive failure of this sort of behavior. Think masers on the drones from multiple directions so no burns are visible on the skin... Just the evil me saying it. Note people are not even making the decisions..
#2
Also, masks are no protection for making 3D lists.. Eyes and mouth arrangement made into a pyramid suggest where the nose endpoint should be and so say video of antifa individuals or groups should provide thousands of 3D face images that are prime targets for strokes. The same for politicians.
#5
Christianity was revolutionary for European progress because it taught that it’s OK to forgive someone who wronged you and desirable to be the "good Samaritan" (i.e. to help members of other tribes).
Sort of, but not fully. Vendetta continued in western culture. It was the promise of 'justice' by a third party, the state, that curtailed the practice. Now the state refuses to engage in justice because too many have obstructed it in the same of virtue. So your family, friends and acquaintances can get the death penalty on the streets, homes, business, and schools without due process or appeal, but the miscreant that carried it out will not face the same consequence.
[BruceMehlmanSubstack] 6 Infographics + 1 Video (President Trump meets with the Technology CEO Council)
Interest in decoding the "Trump 2.0 operating system" has been off the charts this year. How have things changed from last time? What are their methods and goals? Where are they going next? How does one win their attention, hearts & minds... or resist effectively? Here are six critical elements for understanding the T2.0 OS.
1. A Very Different Presidency
Attitudinally, politically and globally, Trump 2.0 is operating with broader ambitions, more fearlessness & greater understanding of how to maneuver the levers of power to get things done. T2.0 knew exactly whom they wanted in the Cabinet (only 1 departure this year)... how to flood the zone from day one to overwhelm resistance (pick every fight, everywhere, all at once)... how to engage other Washington centers of power (ignore Democrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... , dominate Republicans, litigate everything, move fast and break the "deep state"). 2025 is not 2017.
2. Unilateral
They say if you want to go fast, go alone. The Trump 2.0 White House has issued more executive orders in its first year than any Administration since FDR’s, recognizing that executive orders take effect instantly while court challenges to their legality take months. Likewise the great "unlock" for Presidential power is declaring emergencies, as Congress created special authorities for moments that demand quick and decisive action, such as 9-11, COVID or the Iranian hostage crisis. Courts usually defer to the Executive Branch on what constitutes an emergency, and T2.0 declared more first-year emergencies than the seven prior Administrations combined.
3. Transactional, Not Ideological
T2.0 lives to make deals, befitting the author of "The Art of the Deal." Most other Presidents start with an ideology — anti-Communism, pro-ESG/DEI, neo-con, democracies vs autocracies — and aim for policies that fit over-arching world views. This provides helpful clarity but also potentially limits action. T2.0 has shown a willingness to change its mind... e.g. on TikTok, crypto, Zelenskyy... and less concern about "interfering in the market" (e.g. taking equity stakes or cuts of export sales) than traditional adherents of Milton Friedman / Ronald Reagan conservatism.
4. Domination Imperative
When challenged, T2.0 has only one response... hit back twice as hard. A bit like a coach "working the refs," T2.0 aims to give critics pause and prompt negotiation rather than retaliation. And it appears to be working: general counsels at media companies & universities are reviewing a lot more copy than they used to, and some big law firms stopped taking "resistance" cases. Businesses and foreign leaders hoping to change minds in T2.0 prefer an inside game of maximum alignment, flattery and conciliation, seeking "wins" for Trump that are not "losses" for themselves.
5. There Will Be Tariffs
President Trump’s most consistent policy belief over five decades is that other nations take advantage of America, selling us more than they buy (trade deficits) & restricting their own markets while expecting ours to be more open (lack of reciprocity). Trump’s longstanding solution is to impose tariffs, which he did last time and is doing far more aggressively in T2.0. Whether or not the Supreme Court overturns the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), there will be tariffs. The President believes deeply in their need & effectiveness, and T2.0 can leverage many other statutory authorities to impose them broadly.
#2
Excellent find TW! One thing I'd add is the ability to distract the idiots with fantastic claims fueling their TDS. Keeps them busy chasing squirrels while he enacts his agenda. The term "False Flag" comes to mind...
#3
If I understand correctly, he is on the president’s tech CEO council. I saw it at Instapundit and thought it worth bringing here. I’m very glad y’all found it useful — usually I stick to news posts and leave the fancy thinking to you lot. ;-) I found his graphs and such very helpful in guiding my thinking.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...every time you hear the phrase 
