Warning Signs and Bystander Guidance Guide
DISCLAIMER: No single behavior means someone will commit violence. However, people often exhibit warning signs before hurting themselves or others. If you notice something that worries you, something that feels off, it is essential to pay attention. The sooner concerning behaviors are recognized, the sooner help can reach the person and prevent harm. Trust your instincts. You do not need to wait for proof to act.
Call to Action
It can feel uncomfortable to speak up, especially if it is a friend or family member. But staying silent can allow harm to happen. If something feels wrong, say something. Talk to someone you trust, reach out for help, or report it. You might be the only person who notices the warning signs. Learning what to look for and acting on what you see can stop a tragedy before it starts.
Misconceptions about calling the National Violence Prevention Hotline AND THEIR TRUTHS
MISCONCEPTION NO.1: Calling the hotline automatically results in law enforcement being notified
MISCONCEPTION NO.2: Calling the hotline only helps the person at risk of being violent
MISCONCEPTION NO.3: Violence can't be prevented
MISCONCEPTION NO.4: Asking for help means admitting your a bad person
MISCONCEPTION NO.5: If you're just feeling angry, it's not serious enough to call
Understanding the Pathway to Violence
Violence rarely happens without warning.
Research examining mass attacks shows that many perpetrators display concerning behaviors long before an incident occurs. These behaviors are often visible in everyday environments — workplaces, schools, restaurants, and retail spaces.
What is "Bystander Fatigue?"
Bystander fatigue occurs when people around the suspect don’t pay attention or take any action “due to their prolonged exposure to the person’s erratic or otherwise troubling behavior over time,” according to the Behavioral Analysis Unit
Key findings from national research include:
31%
of mass shootings occured in workplaces.
16.7%
occurred in retail locations.
13.7%
occurred in restaurants.
11.9%
occurred in K–12 schools or universities
In workplace settings, most shooters were insiders—people who knew the layout, routines, policies, and people of the office—rather than strangers entering at random. Often they were employees or former employees who understood how the organization functioned and where vulnerabilities existed.
Research also points to common patterns in the months and years leading up to attacks. Many perpetrators experienced early life trauma or long-standing instability. It’s common for significant personal crisis like job loss, disciplinary actions, relationship breakdown, or financial strain to spark an attack. These stressors, of course, do not cause violence on their own, but they can intensify existing grievances and make perpetrators feel as if they have no other option.
Behavioral changes that precede violent acts are often visible to others. Coworkers or family members may notice increased agitation, anger that feels disproportionate to circumstances, social withdrawal, or a narrowing focus on perceived injustices. In many cases, there is also a deep undercurrent of despair. More than 70% of mass shooters were suicidal at or before the time of their attack, suggesting that self destructive thinking and outward violence are frequently intertwined.
Violence is often connected to crisis, isolation, grievance, and significant mental distress. Recognizing these patterns does not excuse harmful behavior. It does, however, create opportunities to intervene before someone reaches a point where they believe violence is the only option.
Warning Behaviors to Watch For
Experts identify several behaviors that may indicate someone is on a pathway to violence. These are not proof of intent but are signals that intervention may be needed. Often, it is not one behavior alone that raises concern, but the pattern or intensity of several behaviors combined. A noticeable shift in personality, increased isolation, or escalation in rhetoric can be important to pay attention to. Recognizing these signs early creates an opportunity to respond before harm occurs.
Fixation
Intense preoccupation with a person, group, or cause, often accompanied by social or occupational decline. This may look like someone repeatedly returning to the same grievance or topic, even when others try to move the conversation elsewhere. Over time, the fixation can crowd out other interests and responsibilities.
Pathway Behavior
Researching, planning, or preparing for an attack, including acquiring weapons or testing security. The key difference here is movement from emotion to preparation. When talk becomes action-oriented, even in small steps, it signals an escalation that should not be ignored.
Identification
Aligning with previous mass shooters, such as collecting details about past attacks. This may involve expressing admiration, comparing oneself to perpetrators, or framing past attacks as justified.
Leakage
Sharing intentions or plans with friends, family, coworkers, or on social media. Leakage can be direct or indirect—sometimes framed as jokes, hypotheticals, or venting. Even if it sounds exaggerated, repeated references to harming others deserve attention.
Grievance
Focusing on perceived wrongs or injustices as justification for violence. Grievance becomes more concerning when the individual begins to frame retaliation as necessary or inevitable. Persistent rumination on being wronged can intensify anger over time.
Novel Aggression and Energy Burst
New aggressive behaviors or sudden increases in energy and activity often precede an attack. A person may become unusually confrontational or energized in ways that feel out of character. Sudden shifts, especially when paired with other warning signs, can indicate escalation.
Last Resort
Indicating that violence is the only option left, sometimes coupled with suicidal thoughts. Statements that suggest hopelessness combined with revenge-oriented thinking are particularly serious. When someone expresses that they have “no other choice,” it is important to take that language seriously.
Download Confidential Help Resource Cards & Bystander Help Cards
Want a way to share this information? These downloadable graphics are available to distribute in any public gathering space in order to help people struggling with violent thoughts or impulses as well as those within their circle of influence.
Questions to Consider if You Notice Concerning Behavior
If you notice concerning behavior, ask yourself:
• Have they expressed violent thoughts or fantasies to others?
• Are they increasingly isolated or withdrawn socially or at work/school? •
Are they obsessively focused on violence or extremist ideologies?
• Are they gathering information or preparing for something harmful?
• Do they identify with past mass shooters?
• Are they experiencing recent crises such as job loss, eviction, breakup, or disciplinary action?
• Are they showing agitation, escalating anger, or suicidal thoughts?
Observation and affirmative answers to these questions can be enough to raise a responsible concern.
How You Can Take Action
Early intervention can prevent tragedy. Action does not mean confrontation. It means responsible steps taken safely.
Contact the National Violence Prevention Hotline
If you notice concerning behaviors or believe someone may be moving toward violence, contact the National Violence Prevention Hotline. Our trained professionals can guide you through next steps, help assess risk, and connect you with appropriate resources. You do not have to handle this alone.
Speak to Someone You Trust
A supervisor, teacher, counselor, HR representative, or mental health professional may be trained to handle concerns safely. Report Through Proper Channels. Many schools and workplaces have threat assessment teams. Reporting concerns allows trained professionals to evaluate the situation carefully.
Focus on Support, Not Punishment
Encouraging counseling, connection, and structured intervention is often more effective than relying on punishment alone.
Monitor for Escalation
If behavior worsens rapidly or preparation for harm becomes clear, take immediate action. (Contact local police or FBI or any other relevant authorities) Even small steps matter. That means noticing a change, listening without judgment, reaching out early—these actions can interrupt when someone you know may be heading down a dangerous path.
Graphics and Additional Resources to Recognize Potential Violence
“Perhaps only after an attack and with the benefit of hindsight would this singular behavior be considered to be — in and of itself — troubling or concerning. Yet, on average, each active shooter displayed four to five concerning behaviors over time. While it may only be the interaction and cumulative effect of these behaviors that would cause alarm, early recognition and detection of growing or interrelated problems may help to mitigate the potential for violence.”
Download Shareable Graphics:
Resources:
- A Study of Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 and 2013
- The Pathway to Violence
- Prevent Mass Violence – Together We can Prevent Tragedy.
- Behavioral Approach to Violence Prevention
- Potential Violence in the Workplace – Indicators
- Prevent Gun Violence by Knowing the Signs
- Mass shooters ‘do not just snap’: How to spot violent people, according to the FBI
- Empowering communities to prevent mass shootings
IMPORTANT
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 (or your local emergency number).
If you are thinking about harming yourself, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) for immediate support.