# Study: Warning signs common before mass shootings but fragmented  
**Published:** 2026-06-16T09:00:26.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/16/repub/most-mass-shooters-show-warning-signs-before-attacks-study-finds/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/study-warning-signs-common-before-mass-shootings-but-fragmented

A new study by the [Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government](https://rockinst.org/gun-violence/), a nonpartisan public policy think tank, has found that people who carry out mass public shootings often display observable warning signs long before an attack, but those signals are frequently spread across friends, family members, coworkers and institutions, making them difficult to piece together.

The report, which analyzed 171 mass public shootings in the United States between 1999 and 2024, found that nearly 86% of perpetrators communicated violent thoughts or intentions to at least one other person before carrying out an attack through in-person conversations or text messages, typically to people in their immediate social circle. On average, warning signs were spread across more than two different groups of observers, meaning no single person had a complete view of the escalating threat.

Researchers identified an average of 6.6 concerning behaviors per perpetrator, including suicidal ideation and other forms of emotional distress or aggression. Planning often unfolded over an extended period, with perpetrators spending an average of nearly 10 months preparing for attacks, including researching locations and studying prior mass shootings.

The findings align with local research conducted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "These things just don't spring up out of the blue," said Mario Scalora, a psychology professor at UNL. "People just don't snap, these acts are often well planned." [Nebraska agencies have implemented threat assessment training aimed at spotting warning signs such as violent social media posts](https://www.klkntv.com/if-you-see-something-say-something-nsp-and-the-university-of-nebraska-policy-center-want-you-to-notice-the-signs-before-a-mass-shooting/) and alarming comments to classmates.

The consortium is developing an open-source database and training tools aimed at helping threat assessment professionals and community members recognize pre-attack behaviors. The report argues that improving communication between schools, law enforcement, mental health providers and community members could strengthen efforts to identify and respond to potential threats. According to Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director of the consortium, "By understanding how these indicators cluster and by building robust pathways for everyday bystanders to report what they see, we can connect the dots and intervene before a crisis turns into a tragedy."

[Read the full story at Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/16/repub/most-mass-shooters-show-warning-signs-before-attacks-study-finds/).

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/16/repub/most-mass-shooters-show-warning-signs-before-attacks-study-finds/)
- [Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government](https://rockinst.org/gun-violence/)
- [Nebraska threat assessment training programs](https://www.klkntv.com/if-you-see-something-say-something-nsp-and-the-university-of-nebraska-policy-center-want-you-to-notice-the-signs-before-a-mass-shooting/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/16/repub/most-mass-shooters-show-warning-signs-before-attacks-study-finds/.