Transgender mass shooters spark debate over intervention systems
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As Americans grapple with another mass shooting by a transgender person, a broader national debate is emerging about whether warning signs are being ignored and whether institutions tasked with preventing violence are falling short.
A retired FBI agent says years of behavioral threat assessments have revealed a troubling constant: In every situation, there was a point at which someone could step in, but the system failed to act.
The Rhode Island shooting also sparked new debates about violent crime and gender identity; many high-profile commentators questioned whether a pattern was emerging.
“Why are there so many violent trans attackers and #BigPharma fueling violence?” Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy asked
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Campos-Duffy said she pressed Calley Means and the Department of Health and Human Services on what investigations, if any, have been conducted and what policies could be implemented “to find answers and end the carnage.”
Radio host Clay Travis similarly spoke about recent attacks, arguing that “the rate of trans violence is off the charts.”
Shootings frequently mentioned in the discussion include:
2018 – Aberdeen, Maryland
Snochia Mosley, a transgender man, killed three co-workers at a Rite Aid distribution center and died by suicide, authorities said.
2019 – Highlands Farm, Colorado (STEM School Highlands Farm)
Alec McKinney and Devon Erickson, a transgender student, carried out a school shooting that left one student dead and eight others injured. McKinney told researchers that bullying because of gender identity was a factor.
2022 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Anderson Lee Aldrich, who authorities say is non-binary, opened fire at an LGBTQ+ nightclub, killing five people.
2023 – Nashville, Tennessee (Covenant School)
Audrey Hale, identified by police as a transgender man, killed six people, including three children.
Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale walks past the Children’s Ministry desk. (1:57) (Twitter @MNPDNashville)
2025 – Minneapolis, Minnesota (Catholic Church of the Annunciation)
Robin Westman, who authorities describe as transgender, killed two children during a church service before dying by suicide.
2026 – Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia
Jesse Van Rootselaar, who police say is transgender, allegedly killed eight people, including five students and one teacher, before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
2026 – Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Robert Dorgan, also known as Roberta Esposito, who police describe as transgender, killed three people, including family members, before taking his own life.
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Screenshots of a YouTube video posted by 23-year-old Robin M. Westman show the suspected police officer as the gunman in the Aug. 27, 2025, church school shooting in Minneapolis. (Taken from Fox News)
Advocacy groups strongly deny claims that transgender identity is linked to mass violence.
GLAAD says there is “no evidence that violence by LGBTQ people is increasing,” citing Gun Violence Archive data showing that five of 5,748 mass shootings recorded between January 1, 2013, and September 15, 2025, were transgender; this represents less than 0.1% of cases.
“Charging people from a small and vulnerable community with crimes of mass murder is an effort to further dehumanize, demonize and promote fear of transgender and non-binary individuals,” the organization said.
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Retired FBI agent Jason Pack cautioned against framing recent acts of violence from a political or demographic perspective, calling instead to focus on systemic failures in the response.
“Regardless of your views on gender identity, and although Americans have strong, candid views on this issue, I think most people would agree that every person in crisis deserves intervention before tragedy strikes,” Pack said.
He emphasized that from a law enforcement perspective, it’s not just identity that threat assessment teams evaluate.
“Law enforcement and behavioral threat assessments don’t look at groups based solely on identity. They never have. What they look at is individual behavior, individual history, individual warning signs,” he explained.
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Families reunite outside police barricades after the shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 27, 2025. (REUTERS/Ben Brewer)
According to Pack, researchers often uncover missed intervention opportunities: warning comments that went unreported, mental health contacts that went untracked, family members who didn’t know where to turn, or school flags that got stuck in bureaucratic systems.
“This is a model worth looking into,” he said. “It’s not who these individuals are demographically, but what failed them and the public before they even picked up guns.”
Pack pointed to what he described as a recurring “crossing point”; A moment when authorities, schools, or families could have taken action but did not because of underfunded threat assessment teams, unused red flag laws, or crisis hotlines that failed to connect callers to help.
“The answer lies in fixing the pipeline that keeps failing and protecting everyone,” he said.
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Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman said acts of mass violence are often preceded by identifiable psychological patterns.
“The shooter’s descent into mass violence begins with a dysfunctional childhood in which he was abused or neglected,” Lieberman said. He added that many later become isolated or bullied, immerse themselves in violent media, abuse substances, or develop a belief that “nobody loves them,” which can deepen resentment and hatred toward others.
According to him, the tipping point usually comes after a destabilizing life event.
“After they sink even deeper into their own world, a traumatic event occurs that sets them off, such as rejection, a breakup, the death of someone they care about, being fired from a job, or some other sudden event that rocks their world and causes them to believe it is ‘time’ to punish others,” he said.
Lieberman echoed concerns about missed opportunities to intervene, saying warning signs can often be seen long before violence occurs.
“The first possible intervention may come from parents who notice that their child is exhibiting unusual behavior, such as withdrawing into a shell, where their grades are gradually decreasing,” he said. “Unfortunately, often even when a person is taken to a mental health professional, the depth of their mental problems are overlooked and remain inadequately treated.”
He argued that stronger early intervention systems in schools, including greater access to school psychologists and ongoing crisis counseling, could help identify at-risk students before their conditions worsen.
Lieberman said, “Intervention systems need to be established in schools to identify problem children early.” he said.
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When asked about public discussions about the gender identity of suspects in some recent cases, Lieberman said he believes identity-related difficulties may play a role in some individuals.
“There is a growing trend for some mass attackers to be trans,” he said, attributing this in some cases to what he described as intense self-loathing and anger; It’s a view disputed by LGBTQ advocacy groups, who cite national data showing that transgender perpetrators represent a fraction of overall mass shootings.
District Attorney George Brauchler of Colorado’s 23rd Judicial District, who prosecuted the 2019 STEM School Highlands Ranch case, said the focus should remain on prevention, not politics.
“We must avoid sensationalism on both sides of this issue and make a serious effort to assess whether there are common threads that precede mass-casualty crimes,” he said. “Those who have not yet suffered deserve a sincere effort to minimize their numbers, free from political posturing.”
Stepheny Price covers crimes including missing persons, murders and immigration crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
