The deadly rampage at Oikos University in Oakland, California is documented in a newly-published book which takes a critical look at school shootings around the world.
The mass slayings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Columbine High School and Virginia Tech are also included in the book – Keep Kids Safe: Don’t Let Our Schools Become Killing Zones – as well as many other attacks around the world.
In the 488-page book available from Amazon, author Cal Millar looks at the various aspects which trigger these horrific cases, including the accessibility to weapons, mental illness, bullying, harassment and the impact from violent video games and movies, as well as the safety and security of educational facilities.
“It is vital that we have a broad and wide-ranging dialogue on the issue of school safety and security to find solutions that will protect students and teachers in their classrooms,” Millar said.
“Although outrage was expressed by politicians after the December 14, 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut which took the lives of 20 first-graders and six educators, very little has been done to keep kids safe in their schools,” he said. “It’s absolutely essential that steps are taken to improve the safety and security of schools, colleges and universities.”
Details of the Oikos shooting which killed seven people and injured three others begins on page 245 and tells how a former student systematically shot victims with a .45-caliber handgun on April 2, 2012 while holding them hostage in a classroom.
The author said there research has been undertaken in the United States and other parts of the world into school shootings and this could serve as a catalyst for a debate on school safety where all voices are heard. “Finding ways to make schools safer is something that should be done at the highest level and should also be a top priority,” Millar added.
The book memorializes those who have died in school shootings, including the Oikos victims and documents the role of first responders, the clergy, funeral directors, volunteer agencies, government organizations and all those who work to help a community to recover after facing almost unspeakable evil.