“This demonstrates the power of paying attention to warning signs”

–J. Reid Meloy, PhD, a threat assessment researcher

In the fall of 2020, a prominent technology company in California contacted forensic psychologist J. Reid Meloy, PhD, a threat assessment researcher, because one of their software engineers had posted worrisome messages on a social media platform. The messages alluded to plans of a violent attack. The platform flagged the posts and alerted the FBI.

Ironically, the case never received any news coverage because nobody was murdered.

Behavioral Threat Assessment Case

On November 30, 2021, a 15-year-old executed a mass shooting at the Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, US, killing four people and wounding seven others. After conducting an analysis on the individual, assessments have been reached. Based on the information publicly available at the time of this report, it is appropriate to classify this attack as an act of terrorism due to the terror it generated.

Read the behavioral threat assessment here.