Forensic psychiatrist: Most suspects of mass shootings have extreme over-valued beliefs

ABC 17 News spoke with a forensic psychiatrist who studies the motives of what makes a person do something like a mass shooting.

At least five people including Congressman Steve Scalise, were shot Wednesday in Alexandria, Virgina, during an early morning practice ahead of a charity baseball game.

Federal law enforcement officials identified the alleged shooter as James Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois who died following a shootout with authorities.

Scalise was in critical condition after suffering damage to internal organs.

While a lot of information is pointing to a political motivation, experts said it’s still too early to tell.

Dr. Tahir Rahman, an MU Health Care forensic psychiatrist, has studied cases like the one today for nearly 20 years and told ABC 17 News finding a motive takes time, but often the suspect has what he referred to as an extreme overvalued belief.

“An extreme overvalued belief is actually shared by other people in their society and culture,” Rahman said. “It can be political, religious or cultural.”

Rahman said the suspect of a mass shooting will often use something that people around them also believe in and take it to an extreme level to either get attention or be painted as a hero from their peers.

“They will relish, amplify and start defending that behavior and those beliefs to a point they chose violence in some cases,” Rahman said.

Cases like the one in Virginia Wednesday are not new, but with the use of social media and the internet, the way someone’s views are shaped has changed.

Dr. Rahman believes that if more money is invested in prevention like education on what is considered an extreme belief, it could help bring awareness of what people should report to authorities.