Experts: Motive hard to ascribe immediately after shooting

BY STELLA MORRISON Staff Writer

Experts in workplace violence and criminal justice reacted to the Aug. 31 shooting in an Old Bridge Pathmark supermarket by analyzing what the alleged shooter’s motivations may have been.

A Pathmark employee allegedly shot and killed two fellow employees before turning the gun on himself during the 4 a.m. shooting, authorities said.

Larry Barton, author of “Crisis Leadership Now” and an expert on workplace violence, explained that the Pathmark shooting does not follow typical workplace violence patterns.

“It’s very unusual that after only a few weeks on the job he had a high occupational identity,” Barton said in the wake of media reports that the alleged shooter had worked at Pathmark for about two weeks. “A person who commits this sort of act may go back to the workplace weeks after leaving or a full year later.”

He cited the Aug. 24 shooting outside the Empire State Building in New York City, in which an individual who had been laid off from his job reportedly shot and killed a former colleague, as an example of a more “typical” workplace shooting.

Barton emphasized that workplace violence has escalated over the past year.

“As of 2012, we are now at three homicides per work day at work in the United States,” Barton said. “You don’t hear about them because they are all over the map. We heard about this shooting because it’s nearby, but you only tend to hear about those with mass casualties.”

John Paitakes, a criminal justice professor at Seton Hall University, South Orange, said public acts of violence such as the Pathmark shooting in Old Bridge may be a cry of desperation or a cry for help from the perpetrator.

“This type of incident brings a lot of attention to the person,” Paitakes said. “The fact that they [reportedly] commit suicide suggests they know that is the outcome of their shooting, or they don’t want to face criminal prosecution or a lengthy prison term.”

According to Barton, the alleged shooter’s short work period may indicate that he was mentally ill.

“The fact that this individual only worked there for a short time tends to suggest this was mental health related,” Barton said. “… But it is still very unusual that he would commit this crime after only a few weeks on the job.”

Paitakes said a shooting in a public space such as a workplace is an indicator that “some emotional problems” may have been a factor.

“This is certainly not the normal thing,” Paitakes said. “When someone attempts suicide, either they are motivated to do it or they will attempt it in a cry for help. This may have been a way of seeking attention or bringing to light a particular issue if a person had a problem at a job.”

Although they offered an analysis of the Old Bridge incident during interviews that were conducted on the afternoon of Aug. 31, both men indicated that a particular motive could not be identified immediately after a crime occurred and will require a lengthy investigation.

“Police will look at all the circumstances,” Paitakes said. “They will interview family members and all factors that can contribute to acting out will be looked at.”

“An autopsy will be essential,” said Barton, who is a professor at the American College, Bryn Mawr, Pa. “Was he on any medications? Was he on any illegal drugs? Was he bipolar? Until then, there will be a lot of speculation.”