a teacher were shot to death by two students who then killed themselves onethird conducted research into previous school shootings like the 2012 sandy hook elementary school attack in newtown connecticut where 27 people mostly firstgraders were killed nine plotters displayed an interest in adolf hitler nazism or white supremacy but most important the researchers said about 94 talked about their attacks and what they intended to do in some way whether orally or electronically and 75 were detected because the plotters talked about them about 36 were thwarted within two days of their intended attacks in these cases they were arrested and faced criminal charges but the point of the study researchers said was not to identify someone to arrest but to identify early warning signs so that students do not end up arrested first and foremost targeted violence is preventable if communities can identify warning signs and intervene driscoll said the earlier the better the goal is not to introduce students to the criminal justice system the primary objective driscoll said is providing a student with help as early as possible