Whether cognitively, historically, or criminally, patterns are the means by which humans predict what will happen next. It's estimated that there have already been between 200to 300mass shootings this year, and one of the clearest patterns to emerge out of these attacks is that the perpetrators often have histories of domestic violence.

"It's not that I would say being involved in domestic violence is a precursor to a mass casualty attack, but it is a type of behavior that you would want to consider in evaluating someone, because it is a common characteristic we have found with mass casualty attackers across the motivational spectrum," John Cohen, a professor at Rutgers University and former counterterrorism coordinator for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said in an interview with ATTN:.

Following his tenure at the DHS, where he led efforts to prevent and respond to mass shootings, Cohen has focused on developing an analysis of mass casualty attacks in the U.S. and Europe, to understand the characteristics of attackers and create a prevention framework. In his view, many of the people who go on to commit acts of mass violence usually show signs of behavioral issues beforehand, including heightened anger, isolation, excessive time online researching a cause, and a deep sense of failure about their own lives.

"We're not talking about true ideological warriors. We're talking about people who have underlying behavioral or mental health issues who self-connect with extremist causes, who develop or form some grievance in their mind and then, based on that grievance, develop the justification for going for the attack," he said.

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