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[quote=Anonymous]I have this excerpt from an academic paper at JSTOR (I can't give you the link sorry but maybe it is online too). It is only food for thought.

Mass Murderers: The Role of Race

Compared with other homicides, mass murders are rare. The 2005 Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics indicate that of all homicides for that year, 4% involved two victims, and murders with three or more victims made up less than 1%. Still, there are demographic patterns that have emerged in multiple-victim homicides, including the role of race. In general, mass murderers tend to be White males of a broad range of ages (although there is a tendency toward middle age). Notable exceptions include the 2007 Virginia Tech killer (an Asian male), 1993 subway killer Jamaican-born Colin Ferguson, and Julio Gonzalez, the Cuban-born murderer who burned down a Bronx night club in 1990, killing 87 people. Mass murderers such as Pittsburgh lawyer Richard Baumhammer or Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh are examples of what may be the more familiar model of this offender profile: middle-class White males with intense grievances against either the government or some select group of people.

One source stated that mass murder, or “sudden mass assault by a single individual” (SMASI), broke down demographically as 77% White offenders, 15% Black, and 7% other, whereas overall homicide rates reported in a 2005 Bureau of Justice Statistics 30-year study were 51% White, 47% Black, and 2% other. Data on the motivations of mass murderers are difficult to obtain, in part because, as noted earlier, the mass murderer often does not survive his rampage. Therefore, the reason behind the higher SMASI offense rates for Whites (compared to general homicide rates) remains unclear. One expert has stated that research into the dynamics of the individual mass murderer is in its very earliest stages. Further studies exploring this and other questions about the complex series of motivational factors behind this crime seem warranted.[/quote]

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