# What Leads Someone To Plan a School Shooting?...The Early Warning Signs Everyone Missed

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rise-above-with-kevin-lanning-6803198/what-leads-someone-to-plan-a-school-shooting-the-early-warning-signs-everyone-missed
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rise-above-with-kevin-lanning-6803198/what-leads-someone-to-plan-a-school-shooting-the-early-warning-signs-everyone-missed.md
Podcast: [Rise Above with Kevin Lanning](https://stenobird.com/podcast/rise-above-with-kevin-lanning-6803198)
Published: 2026-07-21T00:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/AKTBA6793257707.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/AKTBA6793257707.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/rise-above-with-kevin-lanning-6803198/episodes/what-leads-someone-to-plan-a-school-shooting-the-early-warning-signs-everyone-missed
Duration seconds: 4369

## Resource

⚠️ This episode is presented for educational and prevention purposes only. In 2018, Brendan Vaughan was arrested for making terroristic threats against his high school. We sat down with him — and previously with the detective who arrested him — not to sensationalize what happened, but to understand the early warning signs that might help someone intervene before a young person reaches that point. If this helps prevent even one tragedy, it will have done its job. Brendan grew up an only child in Orange County, New York, raised by two alcoholic parents in a home where, by his own account, he never saw human connection modeled. A severe stutter and later-diagnosed autism left him profoundly isolated. His father was physically abusive during his drinking years; his mother later drank herself to death. He speaks candidly about the things that, in hindsight, were red flags: being put on SSRIs young, an escalating obsession with true crime, the empathy problems he now takes responsibility for, and the deep resentment he felt toward peers after an injury took away sports — his one connection to others. He walks through how the planning began, the classmates who reported him (which he now says was exactly right), and the multiple points where the adults around him could have intervened. Today Brendan takes full responsibility for the fear he caused. This is a hard conversation, but an important one for any parent, educator, or young person trying to understand what these warning signs actually look like from the inside. Sponsored by Caron Treatment Centers My recovery journey began at Caron Treatment Centers, and the care I received there changed the course of my life. That's why I'm proud to partner with Caron. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, Caron has…

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