Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich held a press conference Thursday afternoon to update people on the investigation into the fatal shooting at Freeman High School in Rockford, WA, and spoke briefly about how he believes the media are partially to blame for school shootings.
Knezovich honored the teen who died in the shooting , Sam Strahan, who tried to stop the suspect from firing at their fellow students. He also spoke of the janitor, who confronted the shooter, and stopped him, KREM TV reports.
Speaking of the shooter, he said: “This young gentleman got sucked into a counter-culture of violence, a culture that is enamored with school shooting,” he said. “And media, you are to blame for that, cause you keep giving these people headlines.”
"In using their names, you have made them heroes to some people. If I had my way, none of these peoples' names would ever be remembered," he said. "Until we start treating these people for what they are, killers, not heroes, they’re going to continue this violence."
Police published an editorial on this topic in 2012:
The High Price of Fame
