Security Expert Discusses Deadly Oregon School Shooting
Oregon school shooting. Following a deadly elementary school shooting in Bend, Oregon, security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses school security protocols, the gunman’s access to a firearm, and investigative challenges with NPR host Steve Inskeep.
Following a deadly school shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, former Homeland Security official and security expert Juliette Kayyem discussed security protocols and ongoing investigations.
During a discussion about the school’s security measures, including secure vestibules, ID checks, electronic doorways, and quick lockdowns, Kayyem noted that investigators are examining how the 16-year-old gunman bypassed these protocols.
What's interesting to me is, of course, that the gunman either knew that the doors were locked because there is the reporting and the police have confirmed he shot through locked doors. So when you're an investigator, you're looking at, you know, had he cased the place? Did he know what – what are the relationships with the school that he would know how to bypass those security protocols and get into the school so quickly?
Investigators are currently examining the suspect’s physical environment, including his home and computer, to determine his motives and whether he was in touch with anyone or radicalized politically or religiously. Authorities are also investigating friends, family, and the parents regarding how the 16-year-old gained access to the weapon, noting that he could not legally purchase or possess a firearm under Oregon’s strict gun rules.
Kayyem emphasized that preventing school gun violence requires a combination of multiple layered defenses, ranging from safety protocols like run, hide, and fight to defensive school apparatuses, guards, gun laws, and parental responsibility.
All of them combined to try to minimize gun violence. So we shouldn't look at this as, well, they have strong gun laws, and they had security at the school and we're all going to throw up our hands.
Addressing the broader context of repeated school shootings over decades, Kayyem stated that the root cause of schools being viewed as targets has not yet been resolved.
We haven't solved the root cause, which is we are a nation that has a disease, which is people view schools as rich targets. They take guns, and they shoot kids. We have not solved this problem. And so we just keep putting up, you know, these layered defenses I was talking about until we can begin to minimize, essentially, you know, what motivates this, as well as the ability of people to get guns.
