by Dr Funk | Dec 15, 2025 | Behavioral Science & Decision-Making, Case Studies & Cultural Commentary, Understanding Violence
The day Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly shot two members of the National Guard in Washington D.C., President Trump labeled the purported incident as an “act of terror” and the following evening, as he announced the death of one of the victims, he stated twice that it...
by Dr Funk | Oct 25, 2025 | Case Studies & Cultural Commentary, Inside the Mind: Expert Insights
Many terrorist activities include mass murder but the majority of mass murders are not terrorist acts. Simple as this fact may seem, it eludes many laypersons and some law enforcement personnel as well, including the current Director of the Federal Bureau of...
by Dr Funk | Sep 30, 2025 | Case Studies & Cultural Commentary, Understanding Violence
Just before Charlie Kirk was struck in the neck with a fatal bullet he had the following dialogue with Hunter Kozak, a Utah Valley University undergraduate. After checking to see if the microphone was working, Kozak opened by saying, “Hey Charlie, hopefully we are...
by Dr Funk | Sep 5, 2025 | Case Studies & Cultural Commentary, Inside the Mind: Expert Insights, Prevention & Intervention
A sudden mass assault and a terrorist attack are both subsumed under the category of performative violence, but they are not the same crime and conflating them jeopardizes prevention efforts by obfuscating a thorough appreciation of the myriad forces underlying...
by Dr Funk | Jan 13, 2025 | Case Studies & Cultural Commentary, Understanding Violence
The case of Luigi Mangione demonstrates the affinity between a sudden mass assault (or autogenic massacre) and a singular murder that could be added to the category Deitz has identified as “sensational” (a particularly peculiar killing that garners publicity).[i] The...
by Dr Funk | Jul 31, 2024 | Case Studies & Cultural Commentary, Inside the Mind: Expert Insights
There is an essential point that investigators and journalists are not adequately considering in seeking the motivation for the recent sudden assault by Thomas Matthew Crooks at a rally for former President Donald Trump: namely, it was not an assassination attempt –...
