Two top law enforcers in Wisconsin are weighing in on issues stemming from the Navy Yard shootings in Washington D.C.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Chief Susan Riseling says she has studied thousands of shootings that have taken place in the United States over the last 20 years. She’s still waiting for more details about the man who shot 12 people at the Washington D.C. Navy Yard this week before police killed him, but Riseling says mass shooters have a pattern.
“Please remember that nobody snaps – that this is a process and if you know what to look for, you can see it coming,” says Riseling. “The good news about that is if you see it coming, you can stop it.”
National media are reporting that the Navy Yard shooter was being treated for mental problems. Riseling predicts we'll learn that the gunman fantasized about his actions, planned them, prepared, and practiced.
She spoke at a Milwaukee meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General. Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says the Navy Yard case is not prompting the meeting to talk about gun control.
“The reality is, we have significant gun control in this country – we always have and we always will,” says Van Hollen. “But as with all the things we do to protect the public, we’re not going to create a complete lockdown.”
The White House is linking the Navy Yard shootings to gun control, again saying Congress needs to expand background checks for gun purchases.
