Here’s a recurring dream I used to have growing up on the South Side of Chicago. I’m walking
down a street by myself and a man is walking toward me. Just as we’re about to pass each other, I
see that he’s holding a razor, a razor that he lifts quickly to try and slash across my face. I jerk my
head back violently, which is the moment that wakes me each time – breathless, my heart shaking
my chest.
I had this dream in response to a series of real events. For a short while during the 1950s, a man
was terrorizing women and girls in public places in Chicago, randomly slashing at them. But I
went on having the dream, in one variation or another, well into my forties, I think because the
crime seemed so terrifyingly random, a matter of pure bad luck. Like going to the movies and
having someone step out onto the proscenium in battle dress and start shooting. Like sitting in a
classroom learning to read when the door opens and a madmen enters, fully armed.

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Now here comes the summer of 2014, and with it the statistically inevitable rise in violent crime
and murder. Caused at least in part, we’re told, by the temperature. It gets hotter, irritability
increases, we all head outside, bumping up against each other, pissing each other off.
And already, with summer still weeks away, the carnage has begun. A man in New York goes on a
stabbing spree that includes two little children. A man in California knifes three people, then
shoots and kills three others before killing himself. A man in Seattle walks into a college, a man in
Georgia walks into a courtroom, both of them equipped for and apparently willing to kill as many
people as they possibly can. A white supremacist couple in Las Vegas. Just Tuesday, a lone shooter
in a high school in Oregon.
Is it random? Is it the forecast? Or is this kind of violence now as inevitable as it is unpredictable?
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I thought of my violent dream again decades later, when I read about the murder of a young
foreign student at MIT. He was walking with a friend on a warm September night when they
passed some kids from the local high school. The kids were drunk, high, and one of them, for no
apparent reason, punched him so hard in the forehead that he fell down. While he was trying to
get up, a second kid stabbed him in the heart, then wiped off the bloody knife on his shirt as he lay
there dying.
The Cambridge event itself was awful enough, but what struck me in its aftermath were the
comments made to reporters by friends of the killer. They were of the opinion that entirely too
much was being made of this murder. This kind of thing happened all the time – what was the big
deal? The quote in local paper from one of them was, “People get killed every day”.
Technically, of course, this is true. And while the year Yngve Raustein was punched and stabbed
and died, 1992, was a bad year for homicide in the United States, it wasn’t so bad in Cambridge.
There were all of two murders in Cambridge. It was worse in the bigger city across the river, but
even in Boston, there were 73 murders. I hesitate to say “only” of either number – 2 or 73, both are
too many – but what I can say is that these kids had no direct experience of people getting killed
every day. Not even close.
Still, all around us that notion – that killing is everywhere, and so frequent as to be ordinary – is
nourished. By certain violent video games, by slasher and torture movies, by graphic crime shows
on television, by the internet with its celebration of the grisly, the lurid. I don’t know enough to
make the direct case that any of these might actually increase the probability of violent crimes, but
statistics indicate that those who watch a lot of crime shows have an unrealistic and distorted view
about the frequency of those crimes: they think they happen all the time. And it seems to me if you
accept killing as no big deal, then you live in a world where killing may seem a reasonable answer
to some sense of generalized insult, or deprivation, or racial hatred, or paranoia, or politicalinjustice – or even just boredom.
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What happens next in that kind of world? What other random horrors will a long, hot summer
bring?
Perhaps, as it turns out, none. Because the moments of terrifying violence we’ve seen in the
summer of 2014 are precisely the kinds of crimes not increased by hot weather, by proximity, by
opportunity – those elements that seem to be the drivers of the seasonal spike. These crimes are
unpredictable, in some sense impersonal, apparently driven by mental illness and sometimes
made worse by the terrifyingly easy availability of guns. No, it is only interpersonal crimes –
crimes of passion, of aggression, that will get worse over the next few months. The risk of being
killed or injured by someone you don’t know, someone with a semiautomatic, with a grenade, with
a knife, with a straight razor – this stays about the same year-round.
Lucky, aren’t we?
Two assailants killed 14 people wounded 22 more in a shooting at
the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. The two attackers,
who were married, were killed in a gun battle with police. They
were U.S.-born Syed Rizwan Farook and Pakistan national
Tashfeen Malik, and had an arsenal of ammunition and pipe
bombs in their Redlands home.
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Tagged as Public place
NOV. 29, 2015
3 dead, 9 injured: Colorado
Springs, Colo.

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
A gunman entered a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado
Springs, Colo., and started firing. Police named Robert Lewis
Dear as the suspect in the attacks. Three people were killed —
university police Officer Garrett Swasey, Iraq war veteran Ke’Arre
M. Stewart and Jennifer Markovsky, who had accompanied
friends to the clinic. Each was the parent of two children.
Read more »
Tagged as Public place
OCT. 1, 2015
9 dead, 9 injured: Roseburg, Ore.

(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer shot and killed eight fellow
students and a teacher at Umpqua Community College.
Authorities described Harper-Mercer, who recently had moved to
Oregon from Southern California, as a “hate-filled” individual
with anti-religion and white supremacist leanings who had longstruggled with mental health issues. He owned 14 weapons, all
purchased legally. Harper-Mercer, 26, killled himself after
exchanging gunfire with deputies.
Read more »
Tagged as School
JULY 16, 2015
5 dead, 3 wounded:
Chattanooga, Tenn.

Photos of four slain Marines are placed at a makeshift memorial at a military recruiting
center in Chattanooga (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
A gunman opened fire on two military centers more than seven
miles apart on Thursday, killing four Marines and a Navy sailor.
A man identified by federal authorities as Mohammod Youssuf
Abdulazeez, 24, sprayed dozens of bullets at a military recruiting
center, then drove to a Navy-Marine training facility and opened
fire again before he was killed.
Read more »
JUNE 18, 2015
9 dead: Charleston, S.C.

Jessica Oliver leaves flowers on a memorial in front of the Emanuel African Methodist
Episcopal Church. (Getty Images)
Dylann Storm Roof is charged with nine counts of murder and
three counts of attempted murder in an attack that killed nine
people at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C.
Authorities say Roof, a suspected white supremacist, started
firing on a group gathered at Emanuel African Methodist
Episcopal Church after first praying with them. He fled
authorities before being arrested in North Carolina.
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Tagged as Worship place
MAY 23, 2014
6 dead, 7 wounded: Isla Vista, Calif.

People participate in a memorial in People’s Park in remembrance of those who were
killed and injured by Elliot Rodger in Isla Vista on May 23, 2014. (Genaro Molina / Los
Angeles Times)
Elliot Rodger, 22, meticulously planned his deadly attack on the
Isla Vista community for more than a year, spending thousands
of dollars in order to arm and train himself to kill as many people
as possible, according to a report released by the Santa Barbara
County Sheriff’s Office. Rodger killed six people before
shooting himself.
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Tagged as Public place
APRIL 2, 2014
3 killed; 16 injured: Ft. Hood, Texas

Media wait outside Fort Hood for an official statement Wednesday. (Deborah Cannon /
Austin American-Statesman/MCT)
A gunman at Fort Hood, the scene of a deadly 2009 rampage,
kills three people and injures 16 others, according to military
officials. The gunman is dead at the scene.
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Tagged as Workplace
SEPT. 16, 2013
12 killed, 3 injured:
Washington, D.C.

Law enforcement personnel respond to an attack on office workers at Washington Navy
Yard on September 16, 2013. (MCT)Aaron Alexis, a Navy contractor and former Navy enlisted man,
shoots and kills 12 people and engages police in a running
firefight through the sprawling Washington Navy Yard. He is shot
and killed by authorities.
Authorities later reveal that he had an extensive Navy
disciplinary record that included several unauthorized absences
from duty, instances of insubordination and disorderly conduct,
one instance of being absent without leave, and several failed
inspections. He was still able to get a security clearance and
purchase a rifle.
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Tagged as Workplace
JUNE 7, 2013
5 killed: Santa Monica

Santa Monica Police Sgt. Richard Lewis speaks about the replica weapons and zip guns
found during a search of John Zawahri’s house. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
John Zawahri, an unemployed 23-year-old, kills five people in an
attack that starts at his father’s home and ends at Santa Monica
College, where he is fatally shot by police in the school’s library.
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Tagged as Public place
DEC. 14, 2012
27 killed, one injured:
Newtown, Conn.

Responders gather at scene of a mass school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary
School. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
A gunman forces his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Conn. and shoots and kills 20 first graders and six
adults. The shooter, Adam Lanza, 20, kills himself at the scene.Lanza also killed his mother at the home they shared, prior to his
shooting rampage. In emotional remarks from the White House,
President Obama wiped away tears. “Our hearts are broken
today,” the president said.
Photos | Full coverage
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Tagged as School
OCT. 21, 2012
3 dead, 4 injured: Brookfield, Wis.

Rescue personnel arrive at the Azana Salon and Spa (Michael Sears / Milwaukee JournalSentinel)
Radcliffe Haughton, a 45-year-old former Marine, walks into the
Azana Salon and Spa where his estranged wife works and shoots
and kills her and two other women, wounding four others.
Witnesses say Haughton’s wife, Zina, calmly tried to protect
coworkers and customers before she was killed. She had recently
sought a restraining order saying her husband had threatened to
throw acid in her face and set her on fire with gasoline. Haughton
was found dead inside the salon of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Read more »
Tagged as Public place
SEPT. 28, 2012
6 killed, 2 injured:
Minneapolis, Minn.

At a fatal shooting in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, people are
moved to a safe area from the crime scene on Thursday, September 27, 2012. (Richard
Tsong–Taatarii / MCT)
Andrew Engeldinger, 36, breaks into a sign company’s offices and
opens fire, killing the owner and five others before turning the
gun on himself. Engeldinger had been fired from Accent SignageSystems, a small company that specializes in making interior
signs that comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act,
including signs in Braille for the blind.
Read more »
Tagged as Workplace
AUG. 5, 2012
6 killed, 3 injured: Oak Creek, Wis.

People gathered at the Khalsa Care Foundation in Pacoima, for a candle vigil, to
remember the victims of the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting (Jay L. Clendenin / Los
Angeles Times)
Wade Michael Page fatally shoots six people at a Sikh temple
before he is shot by a police officer. Page, an Army veteran who
was a “psychological operations specialist,” committed suicide
after he was wounded.
Page was a member of a white supremacist band called End
Apathy and his views led federal officials to treat the shooting as
an act of domestic terrorism. He had been administratively
discharged from the Army in 1998 after being demoted in rank.
Victims: Who they were
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Tagged as Worship place
JULY 20, 2012
12 killed, 58 injured: Aurora, Colo.

An Aurora Police Department detective takes a witness statement following a shooting
Friday morning July 20, 2012. (AP)
James Holmes, 24, is taken into custody in the parking lot
outside the Century 16 movie theater after a post-midnight attack
in Aurora, Colo. Holmes allegedly entered the theater through an
exit door about half an hour into the local premiere of “The Dark
Knight Rises.” He faces charges of of killing 12 people andinjuring 58 others.
Victims: Who they were
Read more »
Tagged as Public place
APRIL 2, 2012
7 killed, 3 injured: Oakland

Maria Campomanes and her daughter Maelauni, 9, leave flowers for Oikos University
victims outside of the school in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, April 4, 2012. (Jeff Chiu / AP)
One L. Goh, 43, a former student at a Oikos University, a small
Christian college, allegedly opens fire in the middle of a
classroom leaving seven people dead and three wounded.
Goh was charged with seven counts of murder with special
circumstances and three counts of attempted murder. In a
jailhouse interview with a San Francisco TV station shortly after
the shooting, Goh said he was “deeply sorry” for his actions.
Read more »
Tagged as School
OCT. 12, 2011
8 killed, 1 injured: Seal Beach, Calif.

Mourners stop by to pay their respects at the door of Salon Meritage in Seal Beach on the
morning after eight people were shot to death and a ninth wounded by suspected gunman
Scott Dekraai October 13, 2011. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times)
Scott Dekraai, 41, apparently enraged over a custody dispute,
allegedly walks into a crowded Seal Beach hair salon where his
former wife works and opens fire. Eight people are killed,
including a man sitting in a truck outside the salon. Another
person is critically wounded. Dekraai has pleaded not guilty in
the case.
Read more »
Tagged as Workplace
JAN. 8, 20116 killed, 11 injured: Tucson, Ariz.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama attend memorial service for the
victims of Saturday’s shootings, at McKale Center on the University of Arizona campus
Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
Jared Lee Loughner, 22, allegedly shoots Arizona Rep. Gabrielle
Giffords in the head during a meet-and-greet with constituents at
a Tucson supermarket. Six people are killed and 11 others
wounded. Loughner is identified by witnesses as the gunman who
fired at close range with semiautomatic pistol before
being tackled.
Read more »
Tagged as Public place
AUG. 3, 2010
8 killed, 2 injured:
Manchester, Conn.
Omar S. Thornton, 34, a driver for Hartford Distributors,
emerges from a disciplinary hearing and begins shooting, killing
eight people at the family-owned distributorship and
then himself.
Read more »
Tagged as Workplace
FEB. 12, 2010
3 killed, 3 wounded: Huntsville, Ala.
Amy Bishop 45, a neurobiologist and assistant professor at the
University of Alabama in Huntsville, shoots and kills 3 people at
a biology faculty meeting. Bishop is later sentenced to life in
prison without the possibility of parole.
Attached are the scholarly articles to cite for this 1) paper.http://timelines.latimes.com/deadliest-shooting- 2) rampages/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/11/mass-shootings-america-2014-killing