This fall, as schools opened across the United States, four teenagers from Las Vegas faced court for admitting to voluntary manslaughter after they beat a fellow student to death in an incident that was captured on video and circulated online.

Shortly after, a Maryland police report revealed that a 16-year-old, who had been involved in 10 previous police incidents, shot a classmate in a school restroom on his first day back to school.

In another incident, a young man in Florida was charged with murdering his mother, which authorities described as a “cold-blooded murder,” coming less than two years after he was arrested for fatally shooting his father in Oklahoma, although he had not been charged for that incident.

While homicide rates overall have decreased in the U.S. recently, homicides committed by minors have surged by 65%, rising from 315 in 2016 to 521 in 2022, according to a September report from the Council on Criminal Justice.

Incidents of mass violence involving notably young perpetrators have gained national attention, such as the school shooting by a 14-year-old in rural Georgia. However, much of the rise in youth homicides stems from more commonplace, violent altercations.

Experts attribute this surge to a combination of increased firearm accessibility, ongoing effects of the pandemic, and the role of social media in escalating conflicts.

During the pandemic, a surge in gun purchases occurred across the nation, making firearms potentially more accessible than parents may realize. Kids lost important social support and crime prevention programs that are crucial for reducing violence, while also spending more time on social media, where online threats can quickly lead to real-life confrontations.

“The significant issue here is that none of these factors alone would have the same effect,” explained David Muhammad, executive director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform. “But when combined, this dreadful perfect storm of challenges has led to an overall increase in gun violence.”

Youth, firearms, and a rise in gun-related offenses

Crimes involving minors under the age of 18, particularly those involving firearms, alongside the number of serious injuries among victims, have increased by over 20%, as noted in the Council on Criminal Justice report, which takes data from over 3,484 of the country’s law enforcement agencies reporting to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System.

The rise in gun-related offenses is significant especially when juvenile crime overall is on the decline, with property crimes like burglary, larceny, and robbery experiencing the most substantial fall between 2016 and 2022, according to the council report.

The types of firearms and their prevalence among juvenile offenders might also contribute to a higher incidence of serious injuries and fatalities, according to Muhammad.

Recently, a mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, raised concerns when unidentified suspects used modified weapons to turn semiautomatic guns into automatic ones, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuring 17 others.

Brendan Lantz, a coauthor of the Council on Criminal Justice report, mentioned that the growing number of firearms can escalate minor crimes into deadly incidents and may contribute to the spike in homicides among juveniles.

“When firearms are more prevalent in violent encounters, the likelihood of severe violence increases,” stated Lantz, who is also an associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University.

‘How do we understand why kids kill?’

Kahlonii Williams has been reflecting on the factors that might lead a child to commit murder ever since a 15-year-old was charged in the killing of her cousin, Octavia Redmond. Redmond, a 48-year-old postal worker in Chicago, was fatally shot on her route in the West Pullman area on July 19.

Demetrius Redmond, her husband, remembers her as a “sweet, kind, caring, giving” individual who enjoyed recreating dishes she discovered on cooking shows.

“She didn’t deserve this,” he expressed. “I haven’t been myself since and never will be again. Octavia meant everything to me.”

No specific motive has been disclosed in the case. Williams, who has previously lost a loved one to gun violence, expressed her shock that a suspect so young could be involved in such an act. “Why did this happen? We need answers.”

The circumstances surrounding juvenile killings can vary greatly, with motivations often mirroring those of adults. However, adolescents’ brains are still developing, making them more impulsive and likely to resort to violence in trivial disputes, according to Kathleen Heide, a professor emerita of criminology at the University of South Florida.

“Juveniles experiencing emotions like anger, jealousy, or fear are more prone to react quickly compared to adults,” explained Heide, who authored the book Young Killers: The Challenge of Juvenile Homicide.

Many of these conflicts often begin online, with kids using social media to issue threats and showcase firearms as symbols of status. Influencers as young as nine post images of assault rifles like AR-15s to gain followers. Research indicates that online activities can sometimes incite real-life violence, particularly among gang-associated youth.

The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated matters, as school closures removed vital support systems, including violence intervention programs that help children make better choices, according to Muhammad.

Juvenile violent crime rates are not at ’90s levels

Although youth murders have increased, they are still far below the levels seen in the 1990s when many children aged 17 and younger were arrested for murder, as noted in a report from researcher Charles Puzzanchera published by the Department of Justice. These juvenile murder arrests decreased significantly around the year 2000, and by 2020, only 930 youths were arrested for murder, according to the report.

While it’s evident that the number of arrests has grown, they represent a minor segment of the overall youth population, Puzzanchera highlighted.

“We are far from the crime levels of the ’90s that led to many reforms in juvenile legislation that are still being reversed,” he said.

Muhammad also emphasized that it’s crucial to understand that most homicides involve adults as both perpetrators and victims.

What actions can be taken?

Muhammad suggested that a key step in preventing youth violence is identifying those young individuals likely to get involved and intervening before they resort to gun violence. Most offenders display several risk factors, including prior criminal activity, gang involvement, and negative childhood experiences like poverty, as well as connections to other gun violence victims.

“These individuals can be identified, the violence they may engage in can be anticipated, and thus it can be avoided,” he said.

To prevent violence, targeted actions that are both specific and intensive are required, according to Muhammad. Studies indicate that violence interruption and deterrence programs can effectively decrease homicides, nonfatal shootings, and other violent crimes in urban areas, as stated by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

In Maryland, Muhammad was instrumental in starting the Thrive Academy program, which engages community members to connect with youth who are at high risk of experiencing gun violence. They meet in person multiple times each week to link these youths with social services and build constructive relationships.

Following the program’s implementation, three-quarters of the 108 participants avoided any gun-related or violent criminal activities over the subsequent nine months, as reported by the Baltimore Sun. Juvenile Services Secretary Vincent Schiraldi described the results as “super hopeful.”

According to Hunter Hurst, the director of the National Center for Juvenile Justice, significant advancements have been made in formulating research-backed juvenile justice strategies over the last thirty years. However, he advised stakeholders to refrain from politicizing crime statistics and responding too harshly or broadly, noting that “overreaction frequently affects young individuals in communities of color more severely.”

Even though Hurst characterized the ongoing shortage of mental health support for children as a persistent “crisis,” he believes that the nation is better equipped to address what he perceives as only a minor increase in youth violence compared to when he began his career in the 1990s.

“We hope this trend doesn’t persist,” Hurst commented. “We ought to return to normalcy.”