Gang Bangers: What Makes These Mass Murders Unique?

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

Mass murder, especially the public shootings, such as Sandy Hook, have been widely covered by mass media outlets nationwide. Researchers have tended to treat all mass murderers the same, but are they alike? We begin answering this question by focusing on mass gang homicides, that is the mass murders that result from gang rivalries. In this study, we examine descriptive information about gang mass murders. Data that appear to represent gang mass murders will be gathered from the Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) and the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) for the years 2001 to 2014, and then cross-referenced with sources such as the New York Police Department’s Active Shooter file, the Brady Campaign Mass Causality Shooting Data Set, USA Today, Mother Jones, and selected newspapers. Our primary goal is to learn more about gang mass murder so that comparisons can be made among the various mass murder subgroups.

Authors

• Alec Szalewski, University of Central Florida

• Jacob LaFleur, University of Central Florida

• Lin Huff-Corzine, University of Central Florida