Recently there have been a number of violent crimes on the news. Granted, violent crimes have always been on the news, but they never seem to be shocking to viewers. However, in the past few weeks there have been at least two major shootings and a student went on a stabbing spree injuring several people in a Pennsylvania school. There seems to have been a sharp incline in violent crimes in the past few years, but very few people are unsure of what is causing the sudden bloodlust amongst people.
The first slew of shootings took place on April 2, 2014. It was caused by Ivan Lopez in Fort Hood military base by Killeen, Texas. The events began at around 4:00 PM on that fateful day. Several people found themselves being attacked by Lopez resulting in in sixteen injuries and four deaths, including the gunman. Prior to the shooting, Lopez was an Iraq war veteran who had been receiving psychiatric treatment for depression and anxiety following the deaths of both his mother and grandfather. Apparently he had taken a 24-hour leave of absence to attend his mother’s funeral, but this allegedly took five days to process, which enraged the shooter.
Shortly thereafter, the stabbing occurred at Franklin Regional High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The attacks were caused by student Alex Hribal who was allegedly bullied prior to the events. Fortunately, no one was killed, but the events left around twenty-two people injured and four are still in critical condition. The most recent of the crimes took place this past Sunday at a Jewish Community Center. Three individuals were shot and killed by a man in his 70’s who allegedly was a Ku Klux Klan leader. Several people have speculated that this was a hate crime since it took place the day before the Jewish holiday of Passover.