Wednesday, April 18, 2007

VA Tech Gunman Went to Mental Facility--Big Deal

The Chicago Tribune and CNN are both reporting that the VA Tech kller had been taken to a mental hospital. To say that this is not surprising is a minor understatement.

What is interesting though is that now all these signs of disturbed individual are coming forward, not surprisingly, but that the media seems to think that these warning signs should have been heeded.

The killer was an adult, and absent a court order, you cannot hold an adult in a mental facility against his or her will. So the fact that he was voluntarily taken to a mental facility does not mean he could have been kept there. Additionally, even with an evaluation at teh facility, he may have been released because he was not considered a threat and two years ago that appeared to be the case.

But the other facet to remember is that thousands of individuals exhibit Cho's behavior and never move beyond being morose or withdrawn. You cannot predict individual human behavior. Warning signs can be misinterpreted or chalked up to just plain odd behavior.

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