How to Prevent Mass Shooting: A Scientific Journey Towards a Solution

By Jacques Ohayon, Ph.D.

This Book is about Mass Killing and why it occurs. The author Jacques J. Ohayon, Ph.D., has studied almost every incident that falls into the category of a Mass Killing in which the perpetrator is immediately apprehended or commits suicide since 2016. This group comprises the majority of the incidents going back to the Columbine, Colorado massacre in 1999. How To Prevent Mass Shooting reflects the finding that the majority of Mass Killers are medical patients, more particularly patients receiving psychiatric care and medication from a physician. We find that some perpetrators can be considered treatment failures or suffering from Treatment Resistant Depression.
There is also a great deal of mystery concerning the Killings in that although the pattern of the perpetrators is clear, involving mental illness and patients receiving medication, the possibility that a contributing factor to the incidents is medication is rarely emphasized. Dylan Klebold, one of the two Columbine perpetrators, was never formally identified as a psychiatric patient. Yet, his parents document his continued struggles with mental problems throughout high school leading up to the massacre. Although not profiled directly in the Book, Klebold had many of the signs of a perpetrator documented in "How to Prevent Mass Shooting." Eric Harris, on the other hand, had the antidepressant Fluvoxamine in his bloodstream and was considered a psychopath. Klebold may have stopped his meds at some point, if prescribed.
Even minor side effects are reportable based on FDA guidelines. Yet, when a Mass Killer is on a psychiatric medication, the potential side effects are not considered as correlated. This is despite the suspicion of a causal relationship based on the Black Box Warning on all SSRI medication. "How to Prevent Mass Shooting" offers essential insights based on methodological reviews and lets the reader decide what is occurring at the FDA. Critical issues related to the Pandemic are also covered.
So much has been written about Mass Shooting, but unfortunately, our understanding of the phenomena has been stagnant. "How to Prevent Mass Shooting" changes that by finally documenting what appears to be the possible etiology of the crimes and also possibly suicide. "How to Prevent Mass Shooting" implicates an alternative theory that combines all the incidents over the last thirty years.
"How to Prevent Mass Killing" also describes essential research conducted on biomarkers related to the killings. A pupil distortion or anterior segmentation found in the eyes of the perpetrators, which has been studied since 2016, is discussed with photographs documenting the phenomena. We back up the photographic evidence with descriptions including how estranged fathers have murdered their children, some by stabbing, some with guns, and some by drowning. The work also covers transportation incidents.
I received a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. It was my background in Public Health that motivated me to investigate and try to stop Mass Killings and Mass Shooting.
Due to his ability to conduct epidemiological research, Dr. Ohayon has worked on many interesting cases, some of them are as follows:
 Responded immediately to the disappearance of Malaysian Flight 370 by profiling the co-pilot, predicted that the craft was in an area too deep to be located. I helped direct searches and advised families in China and Malaysia, and helped authorities save resources explaining the plane was likely in waters too deep to recover (2014).
 Performed a definitive analysis of the failure to stop the Mexican Gulf Oil Spill, identifying the absence of experts, staff, and equipment from Transocean due to legal barriers; redirected human resources, stopping oil flow from the Deepwater well immediately. (2010)
 Helped evaluate where to place resources for the COVID-19 vaccine program, selecting the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 30, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350938616

Book preview

Chapter One: Introduction

Mass Killing Explained (finally)

This book is about explaining why the problem of Mass Killing occurs. I received a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health in 1984. It was my background in Public Health that motivated me to investigate and try to stop Mass Killings and Mass Shootings. On August 4, 2009, one of the early Mass Killing incidents that caught my attention was the shooting near Pittsburgh in Collier Township Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, at the LA Fitness. George Sordini killed three women and then killed himself. Nine others were also injured. George Sordini worked in a downtown law firm, KL Gates, as a computer analyst; he had saved $250,000 and owned his home. It did not make sense that he would commit such a crime until a psychological profile was discovered. The profile eventually made sense of his behavior and that of many other shooters.

It was three years before James Eagan Holmes entered the movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, and killed 12 persons and injured 70 on July 20, 2012. The problem of mass killing, perpetuated by individual shooters, was becoming a significant problem, although not well understood. On December 14, 2013, the Sandy Hook shooting occurred. In that incident, Adam Lanza killed 26 persons; 20 were children. On June 4, 2014, in British Columbia, Justin Baroque, age 24, killed three and seriously injured two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers. In 2017, in Quebec City, Alexandre Bissonnette, age 27, killed six Mosque worshippers and wounded five seriously in a mosque.

Two years later, Brenton Harrison Tarrant, age 28, from Grafton, New South Wales, Australia, attacked two mosques, killed 51 people, and injured 40. Tarrant live-streamed the first shooting on Facebook.

Transportation Incidents

US Representative Jackie Walorski, on August 3, 2022, was killed when her chief of staff, Zachery Potts, driving at 82 MPH in a 55 MPH no-pass double yellow zone, crashed the Representative’s vehicle into oncoming traffic. The Elkhart County, Indiana, Sheriff interviewed a witness traveling behind the RAV4 who reported seeing the RAV4 slowdown and then accelerate behind a flatbed truck. As the RAV4 approached the truck’s rear, it swerved into the southbound lane, colliding with the southbound Buick driven by Edith Schmucker. Reconstruction of the crash and data from the airbag control module showed that Potts steered the vehicle left just before the crash. A Congressional aide, Emma Thompson, Potts, and Edith Schmucker also died. Photos of Potts reflect a noticeable biomarker in his pupils, and he also has green eyes, which may also be a risk factor while being treated with an SSRI (see Chapter 3 below).

The situation was beginning to escalate to pilot suicide in the case of the downing of Malaysian flight 370 in March 2014 and the deliberate crashing of German Wings flight 9525 into the Alps in March 2015. The derailment of Amtrak train 188 in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015, also appears to fit the mass killing profile. From August 2016 to December 2016, there were three bus driver suicides with passenger fatalities and an additional deliberate fatal school bus crash in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Two devastating vehicular homicides in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in October 2015 and one in Las Vegas in December 2015 by females also exhibited features that appear to fit the Mass Killers profile. A recent bus crash in Laval, Quebec, in February 2023 killed two four-year children and injured an additional six children in a day care center.

I knew I needed to find a common denominator that would explain most of the evidence I discovered. Here is a list of some of them:

Common Behavioral Features of Mass Shooting

1.Usually, white males

2.Distinct personality features, loners rejected by women

3.Often professionally treated, access to medical treatment

4.Use of Antidepressants

5.Elaborate planning of the Attack

6.The desire for a large number of deaths

7.Multiple rounds and Multiple weapons

8.Reloading: the shooters typically plan to reload

9.Web-based blogs in which their depression and anxieties are expressed

10.The creation of Manifestos by the killers is widespread and often distributed before the crimes

11.The mass killers usually function normally, holding down jobs or attending classes in many cases. Often, friends and neighbors are surprised by the level of violence, although deterioration is seen within 30 days of the violence.

12.Suicide: the mass killers often plan to end their lives

13.Pupillary Distortions are found in public photos of the killer’s eyes, potentially indicating brain damage.

14.Travel- Many shooters kill away from home and are seen traveling to locations where they commit their crimes

15.All the killings identified by the profile were solved. Sometimes, the killers call the Police or are caught soon after the crime.

16.Although the Mass Killing is planned, there is rarely an escape plan to avoid apprehension.

One of the common denominators I thought I might find was a psychiatric diagnosis that would explain the consistency of the behavior or a possible classification that would explain all 16 profile features. I began to realize that the high rate of suicide and sometimes death by cop was the key to understanding the phenomena. I observed specific crimes usually solved immediately or within an hour. Perhaps the perpetrators wanted to be caught or planned to kill themselves. Yet the perpetrators often seemed normal, friends and family members indicating that the perpetrator held down a job, interacted with friends, or attended classes. Yet perpetrators do exhibit incipient decompensation in their relationships and sometimes drop out of school or leave their jobs weeks before their crime.

Some break down or act out, noticeable to direct contacts, such as a girlfriend, their wives, or co-workers. This was the case for Andre Lubitz and his girlfriend before crashing the German Wings plane into the Alps, killing all the passengers. Also, more recently, James Huber, in 2021, the man responsible for killing two FBI agents, appeared to be decompensating, and it was noticeable to his manager. He asked for his medication, complaining that he needed it.

The incipient decompensation before their crime may indicate that the relief Mass Killers experience from planning and preparing for their offense no longer relieves their severe depression. Activities typical of mass killers are posts on the internet, purchasing weapons, and entries in their manifestos or dairies, which often precede their crimes. This detailed planning process, while hiding their morbid plan, brings them closer to the actual crime.

I began to realize that I was studying a phenomenon that corresponded to a form of mental illness caused by a neurological condition responsible for hundreds of deaths every year. This condition also corresponds to other types of crime, not just Mass Killing. A pattern began emerging, indicating many Mass Killings were associated with the prescribing of SSRI medication. More about this later in the book.

The common denominator seems to be depression. The diagnosis of depression in the perpetrator’s profile is partially defined by reported treatment with antidepressant medications. Although it is not typical for the press to report a perpetrator’s prescription, it happened often enough to be included in the profile of a Mass Killer.

Pupil Distortion Biomarker Breakthrough

Evidence for a Possible Form of Brain Damage Shared by the Killers

As part of studying each incident of Mass Killing, I examined the photos of the perpetrators. I studied pictures and their posts on Facebook, which were often used as evidence against the perpetrator. These posts often included photos of the perpetrator posing with weapons. I also examined the perpetrators’ facial features and eyes closely, examining their irises and pupils. I studied Facebook posts and mugshots. I began to notice a consistent abnormal pattern in their pupils and irises; the shape of their pupils was abnormal. They were not round as in a normal pupil. I started checking with ophthalmologists and ophthalmic photographers and tried to confirm my findings. My observation was correct; almost all the perpetrators had pupil distortion. I eventually joined the Ophthalmic Photographers Association and gave a Landmark presentation in Chicago in October 2019. 1 The technical term for the discovery was an anterior segmentation of the eye.

A distortion in the pupil is distinguished from a normal pupil in that a normal pupil is almost always round. Two rare conditions interfere with the shape of the pupil: Coloboma and Andie’s disease. Coloboma incidence is approximately 2.4 cases per 100,000 live births. 2 The incidence of Andie’s Syndrome is 4.7 per 100,000, with an estimated prevalence of 2 cases per 1000; it is found mainly in women with a ratio of 2.6:1 female versus males. 3 However, it sometimes resolves, and that could affect the prevalence. No actual prevalence of coloboma is reported in the medical literature.

Break Through Medical Discovery Can Be Seen in JPeg Photos on The Internet

One of the amazing and valuable aspects of the discovery of pupil distortion in patients is that it can be seen in JPEG photos on the internet. Often, mug shots or posts on the internet feature photos of perpetrators. This is our primary source of data, which has been replicated 100’s of times. The distortion can also be seen in real-time in patients. However, to truly study the phenomena, you must take a photo. By examining internet photos of perpetrators of Mass Killings, I have been able to shed light on the underlying cause of the incident. In epidemiology, this could be considered tracing the Natural History of the crime. Historical photos are often available on social media, allowing the approximation of when medication was first introduced to the patient.

This was a Eureka moment since not only did we discover that a biomarker was present in the pupils, but we determined that it could be seen in JPEG photos on the internet and then downloaded. Due to the high pixel rate available in photographs shot with modern cameras, it is possible to zoom into the eyes and pupils of perpetrators of Mass Killing. The photos are available on the internet and can be downloaded for analysis. Sometimes, we would highlight and contrast the images to see them more clearly, never adjusting the distortion. To illustrate this point, an 8-megapixel camera with 3,264 X 2,448 resolution has 327,184 pixels in just 1mm x 1mm, which is enough to zoom into a pupil and see it clearly in many cases, (see photos below in the profile section).

This was a significant breakthrough since we could trace depression medication to Mass Killing for the first time with the discovery of the biomarker. By examining JPEG photos, we could also study the phenomena retrospectively by examining the pupils of perpetrators years before the incident occurred. The discovery represents the only observable biomarker in Psychiatry.

After observing the pupil distortion phenomena in patients treated with SSRI medication, we were able to conclude that I discovered a way to determine when a person was being treated with an SSRI by examining them personally and by looking at a photograph. These personal observations also validated what we saw in JPEG photos of