Analog, I agree with much of what you have posted, except there is an additional twist that applied in this situation and many others. Many people came forward to express concern about this student, but they were unwilling or unable to take the next step. The female students chose not to file a complaint against him for stalking. The administration's hands were tied because he never made a specific threat to harm himself or others.
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The very fact that such an event was unprecedented should tell you that there was no way of seeing this coming.
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There was a precedent in 1962,
Link , but this merely reinforces how rare college campus attacks have been. Of current concern is the copycat wannabe's that are making threats across the nation.
Under current law, this individual could not be brought in for a psych evaluation without his permission, let alone be temporarily hospitalized. If we are discussing how this might have been prevented, I believe it begins when he first drew attention by his writings. I am seriously torn about the idea of involuntary hospitalization that goes beyond the current statutes.