Orlando bloodbath:

Countering the 'lone wolf'

by Dilshan Joseph

Headlines were made in Orlando, Florida, this week with a bloody massacre at a gay nightclub which left 49 people dead and 53 survivors seriously injured. The 29 year old shooter Omar Mateen, radicalized by extreme ideology (mainly via social media and other websites) and, perhaps, facing his own gender identity crisis, unleashed his terror wielding an assault rifle and pistol, before members of a SWAT team stormed the club.

Pic: Courtesy www.cbc.ca

Whilst being investigated as an act of terror, the Orlando night club massacre is also, in a sense, a crime of hate towards the Hispanic community and also the gay community in Florida. The shooter himself was a regular at the Pulse Club - the mainly gay-frequented nightclub - and was known to get very drunk. This incident carries multiple ripple effects, with the US General Elections around the corner. Prior to this carnage, an anti-gay hate crime occurred in the United States way back in 1973 in New Orleans where 32 people died from a club fire which was traced to an act of arson.

Incidents involving violent episodes of active shooters are clearly on the rise in the USA. So far, all the active shooters have been male. Many people have not been able to grasp this sudden outburst of rage and mass murder. The background of each shooter remains complex. The crime scenes are complex, especially from a law enforcer's view point, as it is always a direct threat to innocent civilians.

The FBI has classified an active shooter as "an individual engaged in killing people in a confined or populated area". The first half of this profile clearly shows that the shooter operates alone. He does not plan his mission with anyone. He is willing to take the full credit and risk for his crime. Secondly, his selection of 'soft targets' is always a place where there are people.

The shooter wants a public display. Often targets are schools, mega malls, railway stations, public parks etc. These places have limited security. The only effective response to such a threat is the rapid response of Police within minutes, a difficult challenge in any country. The shooter always uses a semi or fully automatic weapon, which can be purchased in the US without alerting suspicion.

Mindset of the shooter

The active shooter has a complex pattern of behavior which is hard to understand. They never arouse the suspicion of their family members, co-workers or friends. Many of the shooters have been gainfully employed. Some played sports. Omar Mateen was married, having met his wife online. His wife has now revealed that he was abusive and she fled to find solace with her parents.

The active shooter does not fit into the general pattern of a murderer or Serial killer. A serial killer commits a prolonged crime spree, yet operates in a low profile, hunting his victims one at a time. In contrast the active shooter makes a 'one time encounter' in a compressed time frame. The serial killer hides the corpse but the active shooter wants fame for his slaughter.

Another interesting point is that the active shooter does not want to hide or escape. He comes prepared for a shootout with the Police. He wants publicity. Often the shooter will post a brief homemade video on YouTube or Face book, minutes before the attack (but will not disclose the chosen target) trying to justify his actions.

The serial killer enjoys the horror he inflicts on his victims, but for the active shooter his victims have no meaningful connection. They fatefully happen to be at the venue.

Emotional intelligence

Psychologically the serial killer is a person who has undergone physical/ emotional abuse over a few years. He then chooses to vent his revenge on his single victims, craftily evading arrest. In contrast the active shooter is a victim of bullying. He is emotionally displaced by one incident that may trigger the need for revenge (ie being bullied at university or workplace).

Some active shooters are mildly similar in their rationale and thinking to an Ideological Killer. The ideological murderer is a person who is strongly infused with extreme patterns of ethico-political or religious orthodoxy.

They attribute their deviant actions to religious/political teachings which they have misinterpreted. The Oklahoma City bombing is a example of this kind of mindset, where 168 lives were lost within a few seconds. The ideological killer has a strong adherence to his belief. Yet, the active shooter's motive is always personal. The ideological maniac kills from a distance and eludes capture. Being in the centre of the crime scene is the thought process of the lone shooter.

Weapon of choice

In the case of Omar Mateen he chose an MCX automatic assault rifle, the type AR223 calibre magazine (with a magazine capacity of 30 rounds and shot in bursts) and the 9mm semi automatic pistol which has a high accuracy rate, specially at close range . It is interesting to note that in 1994 such weapons were banned by the Federal Assault Weapons ban which sadly ended in 2004 and was not renewed by Congress. Police have now uncovered that Omar had worked as a security guard. As one Senator had described, the rife as a 'weapon of war', and not a rifle used for hunting. The Executive Director of the National Rifle Association opined that banning such high velocity rifles will not deter future crimes of this nature. Omar had come under the FBI radar in 2013, but was not under surveillance since then.

Given the sudden outburst of this kind of carnage, the Police face a challenge in responding to an active shooter. Often the people being shot at may not have access to a phone. Even if they carried a mobile phone they would not be in a safe position to dial for help. The shooter takes a glorified stance as his innocent victims are pleading for their lives. He will not negotiate with Police.

He comes ready to die. Recorded incidents show that to this date no policeman has been killed by an active shooter (i.e. Virginia Tech shooting 2007 and Parliament Hill shooting Ottawa 2014).

Another point is that 40% of such lone gunmen were shot and killed by Police and 46% shot themselves in an act of public suicide. debate continues in America about citizens carrying weapons, and new laws to legalize show carrying, where a licensed weapon can be worn on ones belt without being concealed.

Gun control will remain a hot topic.