Experts Weigh Copycats Following Santana Shooting

March 8 -- Maybe the wrong lessons have been learned since Monday's fatal shooting at Santana High School.

Since Charles "Andy" Williams allegedly went on shooting spree that left two people dead and 13 wounded, there have been at least 12 more incidents reported nationwide in which students were arrested for either making threats of school violence or carrying it out.

On Wednesday, a 14-year-old girl is in custody after allegedly shooting another girl during lunch at their parochial high school, Bishop Neumann Junior-Senior High, in Williamsport, Pa.

On Tuesday, California authorities arrested seven students from three different schools for allegedly making violent threats. Among those arrested were two 17-year-old boys in Twentynine Palms, Calif., who authorities say had a hit list that included 16 fellow students.

Another arrest involved three junior high school students in San Bernardino County for allegedly threatening to put a bomb underneath a teacher's desk.

It's a pattern that emerged nearly two years ago after the massacre at Columbine High School. Experts say the pattern is fostered by both an onslaught of media attention — in this case the Santana High School shooting — and a growing awareness by fellow students and teachers of possible plots.

Kinship, Validation And ‘Respect’

After Williams' alleged rampage, his friends and associates said he had been picked on a lot because he was small and awkward. Though he had talked about carrying out a school shooting, Williams' friends said they never took him seriously because they thought he was kidding — something he apparently liked to do.

However, on Monday morning, the surprise in his friends' faces was broadcast nationwide on seemingly every news broadcast. Seeing this, other teenage social misfits, one expert says, believed their feelings of ostracization were validated and saw an easy way to gain "respect."

"It gives a sense of validation, that the media attention paid shows that their pain is real and should not have been ignored," said Andrew Vachss, who has written several books on children and violence, including Pain Management. "The kid that was ignored, marginalized, he finds that if he just mentions he has a gun, he'll get what he sees as respect.