Mass shooting
Are juries making the right decision about who’s at fault after a mass shooting? These are incidents where multiple people are shot and killed. This term is typically used to describe an event where four or more people are killed. Mass shootings happen in places such as schools, workplaces, and public places. They can be carried out by a single individual or by multiple people. The most common reasons for mass shootings are due to mental health issues, access to guns, and social isolation. Many mass shooters have a history of mental illness, such as psychosis, anxiety, and depression.
The United States has a high rate of gun ownership, with a history of violence and mental illness can own a gun. Some mass shooters struggle from social isolation and have few friends or family, which makes it harder for them to get the help they need. This could contribute to their feelings of anger or resentment. In court there is an argument on whether or not people involved in shootings but did not pull the trigger should get charged. Some believe that they should be charged while others don’t.
Jury
Now juries can make the decision if it right others are responsible of assisting the gunman in mass shooting. The jury are the ones who make that decision most of the time, especially when it comes to mass shootings. What exactly is the jury?
Jury are twelve people who are randomly selected to be in court. For example, in 2021 a student by the name of Ethan, took his father’s firearm and struck at Oxford High School where he ended the lives of four high school students. This incident caused his parents to be charged.
Some jury members strongly argue that they shouldn’t be charged because their son pulled the trigger, and they didn’t. While other jury members argue that they should be charged because their underage teen shouldn’t have had any access to weapons.
Jennifer Crumbley Case
In this case, the jury had a lot of questions about the evidence for the mass shooting. After ten hours of deliberation over the course of two days, they came back with a verdict. Which concluded that Jennifer Crumbley was guilty on all four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Jennifer’s husband will also face the charges for the mass shooting. One of the jurors believes that the decision should be decided based on who was the last adult to have the weapon, which is Jennifer herself. Was that the right decision? Was it fair? Ethan who is seventeen pleaded guilty as an adult to murder, terrorism and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In Chicago there are lots of cases where a person who didn’t pull the trigger was charged. In fact, Illinois state police Kelly said “You may not be the person pulling the trigger. You may not be the person with the firearm, but you could be held accountable for that conduct if you have knowledge that someone is a threat and you don’t act on that – particularly if you’re a family member and you fail to do that,”.
Who should be charged?
People believe that parents should be held liable for the actions of their child who commits mass shootings. However there are a number of factors to consider, including the age of the child, the child’s mental health. The parents level of involvement in the child’s life. In some cases, parents may be held liable if they knew or should have known that their child was planning mass shootings and did nothing to stop it.
For example, if a parent sees their child stockpiling weapons or making threats of violence about a mass shooting, they may be held liable if they do not take steps to prevent the child from carrying out their plans. In other cases parents may not be held liable if they were not aware of their child’s plans, or if they did everything they could to prevent the child from carrying out those plans.
There is no consensus on who the jury thinks should be held accountable if a child commits a mass shooting. However, in the end whether or not some think that the parents should be held liable or not. In mass shootings; are juries making the right decision?
Written by Ashley Moore
Sources
WTTW: Who is Accountable for a Mass Shooting? It’s No Longer Only the Person Who Pulled the Trigger
NBC News: Jury finds Jennifer Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter in son’s school shooting
Stetson University: The morning after: Selecting Impartial Juries After Mass Shootings.
