Killing of 8 children in Louisiana renews focus on domestic violence involving guns

[0:00] Another deadly shooting has torn apart another American community. [0:04] Yesterday morning in Shreveport, Louisiana, a man shot and killed eight children and gravely wounded two adults. [0:11] He was killed during a confrontation with police after fleeing the scene. [0:15] William Brangham has more. [0:17] Jeff, police said the children ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old. [0:23] The killer was reportedly the father to seven of the eight children that he killed. [0:27] The two adult victims were the suspect's wife and another woman. [0:32] This was the deadliest shooting in America in over two years, and it sent shockwaves throughout Shreveport. [0:38] City officials today said the shooting underscores a broader problem. [0:43] I would like to also remind everyone that in the city of Shreveport, we have a true epidemic of domestic violence. [0:52] And that is something that should be a top priority of the city's administration, the city council and law enforcement. [1:01] For more on this tragedy and the broader issue of gun violence, we are joined again by April Zioli. [1:06] She's the director of the Michigan Firearm Law Implementation Program at the University of Michigan. [1:13] April, thank you so much for being here again. [1:15] Your research studies the intersection of domestic violence and firearms. [1:22] So, given that people might just be taking on board what this tragedy is all about, what was your initial reaction to this? [1:31] My initial reaction was, unfortunately, that this has happened again. [1:37] We know from research that there are often opportunities to intervene and to stop this kind of violence from happening, but the opportunities were missed and were left with a tragedy. [1:52] And what does the research show us about that, the overlap between domestic violence and firearm ownership? [2:01] It shows that when a violent male intimate partner has access to a gun, the chance that he'll kill the female partner goes up five times, is much greater. [2:17] We also know that there is more likely to be other victims as well. [2:24] You know, so, in this case, we saw an intimate partner, another adult, and eight children. [2:30] This comports with what we know about domestic violence shootings, unfortunately. [2:36] And this also seems to fly in the face of the way guns are marketed and sold as a defensive weapon, that you bring a gun into your home to defend yourself, not that that gun then becomes a tool used against you. [2:52] Correct. [2:52] The reason guns are pitched and sold as defensive weapons and people want them as defensive weapons are exactly the reasons that they are so deadly. [3:06] Guns are incredibly lethal, and they're a range weapon, so you can injure somebody from far away. [3:14] You can't do that with a knife. [3:15] You can't do that with a blunt instrument. [3:18] And that gives firearms more lethality. [3:24] And if you're hit by a bullet, you're much more likely to die than if, say, you were stabbed. [3:32] So, in an already violent situation, firearms just make the problem worse. [3:37] And you touched on this before, but when we think about children in America being shot, we tend to think of school shootings. [3:43] How does the data on school shootings compare to violence in the home, shootings in the home? [3:52] School shootings are tragedies, and we should do everything we can to prevent them. [3:57] But if we're concerned about children dying, then we have to look at domestic violence and events that happen in the home, because kids are much safer at schools than they are in the home. [4:13] When they're dying in mass shootings, these are domestic violence events. [4:20] We heard public officials in Shreveport today repeatedly saying to the general public that, if you see something, say something. [4:29] They're basically saying, if you know that someone is troubled and may have access to a gun, that they have to speak up. [4:35] I mean, is that the message to people, that that's the best way to prevent this? [4:39] Do we have other ways of intervening that are useful? [4:42] Oh, there are many ways to intervene. [4:45] In this particular case, it's been reported that the wife of the shooter was leaving. [4:54] They were getting divorced. [4:56] And just that one fact raises the risk of homicide and severe violence. [5:04] Separation is the most deadly time when it comes to domestic violence. [5:09] So this is a time for people to gather resources for courts and domestic violence agencies to come into play and help somebody's safety plan. [5:23] Safety plans can really help. [5:26] Restraining orders can sometimes help. [5:28] There are other things people can do if no action is taken, if firearms aren't removed, if they're still available, if somebody who says that they're suicidal doesn't get any attention, then we're really not going to solve this problem. [5:48] That is April Zioli of the University of Michigan. [5:52] Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us. [5:54] Thank you. [6:07] Support journalism you trust. [6:09] Support PBS News. [6:11] Donate now, or even better, start a monthly contribution today.