The Atlantic

Why Many Mass Shooters Are ‘Loners’

Social rejection can fuel violence, but only if the perpetrator has access to a deadly weapon.
Source: Celia Talbot Tobin / ​The New York Times / Redux

Updated at 1:43 p.m. on August 5, 2019.

The man accused of killing 22 people and injuring dozens more at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, this weekend was an “extreme loner” who was “picked on” for his voice and his clothes, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The lonely life of the suspect, who is widely reported to be 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, reveals a troubling pathway to

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