Threats of school shootings and violence spiked around the United States following the fatal shooting in a high school in Georgia.
Threats of mass violence have spread on social media. This follows the recent mass shooting at the Apalachee High School in Georgia. In that case, 14-year-old Apalachee student Colt Gray opened fire at students and teachers, killing four and injuring nine others.
The spike is not unusual, especially in the weeks after a high-profile shooting. That is according to Dr. Ken Trump, President of Cleveland-based National School Safety and Security Services, per Axios.
"It fits the pattern, unfortunately," Ken Trump told the publication. "It fits what I've seen for four decades. After every high-profile shooting, you see an uptick for at least a week or two. There's a contagion effect where this spreads across the country."
Where Threats of Violence Are Spiking
In the wake of the deadly Apalachee shooting, there have been more than 60 school threats investigated across 23 counties in South Carolina alone. Police officers have arrested and charged 21 teens related to the threats---most of which were made on social media.
In North Carolina, authorities said 40 schools had received threats in the weeks following the Apalachee tragedy, as reported by WCNC Charlotte.
In Florida, officials have arrested nearly a dozen students in connection with recent threats of violence. This includes 11-year-old boy Carlo Dorelli, who threatened to commit mass shootings at two different schools. He also bragged about a kill list and a weapons cache.
In Georgia, more than 30 teens have been charged with felony terrorist threats since the Apalachee shooting. Of those, 24 were booked into juvenile detention within 48 hours of the mass shooting.
How Many Have Died in Mass Violence in the US?
As of Sept. 18, about 12,260 people have died of gun violence across the US. Of those, 397 have died in mass shootings, and 23 have been killed in mass murders. So far this year, 178 children aged 0 to 11 and 842 teens aged 12 to 17 died in gun violence-related cases, per the Gun Violence Archive.
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