[ti:US Report on Mass Attacks: Mental Health a Major Factor] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.01]Two-thirds of all mass public attacks in the United States last year were carried out by someone with mental health problems. [00:11.09]In more than one-third of the attacks, the attacker killed himself at the site of the attack or shortly after leaving. [00:21.98]Those findings come from a new report from the country's National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC). [00:32.47]The NTAC is part of the United States Secret Service. [00:38.53]The researchers looked at 27 attacks in public spaces in which three or more people were injured or killed. [00:49.61]The attacks took place in 18 states. Ninety-one people were killed in all. Another 107 people were wounded. [01:01.36]Such attacks included the February 2018 high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead. [01:11.88]The researchers also looked at the October 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Jewish religious center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [01:23.53]Eleven people died in that attack. [01:26.64]U.S. officials are searching for ways to decrease such violence. [01:32.75]"We don't have a magic wand," said NTAC Chief Lina Alathari. "There's not a single solution to everything." [01:43.85]The report was able to identify some broad themes in the attacks. [01:50.51]For example, 89 percent of the attacks involved firearms and 70 percent happened at a place of business, such as a bank or office building. [02:03.33]Twenty-five of the 27 attacks were carried out by males. [02:09.09]The youngest attacker was a 15-year-old high school student in Benton, Kentucky. [02:16.33]He killed two classmates and injured 10 more. [02:20.86]The oldest attacker was a 64-year-old man who walked into a restaurant in Hurtsboro, Alabama, [02:29.66]where he reportedly shot and killed the owner and another person. [02:34.45]More than half of the incidents were connected to personal disputes at work or at home. [02:42.27]NTAC researchers blamed just two of the 27 attacks on ideology. [02:50.44]The report says hatred of Jews was behind the deadly shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue. [02:57.32]And, it said a February 18 truck attack at a medical center in New Jersey was carried out [03:06.21]because the attacker opposes the right of women to medically end their pregnancies. [03:12.15]The NTAC and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are urging communities [03:20.93]to look for any signs that someone is at risk of becoming violent. [03:27.20]The agencies are trying to educate the public about possible warning signs and what actions observers can take. [03:36.09]NTAC's Alathari said, "We want to identify individuals early to deter them off that path." [03:45.73]The NTAC and DHS have been contacting state and local officials, as well as schools, [03:55.23]businesses and mental health agencies to provide free training and advice. [04:01.73]A large part of the goal is to make sure people feel at ease coming forward with information. [04:09.28]DHS acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan said people should trust their feelings. [04:17.94]"Prevention of mass attacks is truly a community effort," he said. [04:24.00]Officials believe at least that part of the message is getting through. [04:29.78]In more than 75 percent of the mass attacks in 2018, someone shared concerns about the attacker before the attack took place. [04:41.44]But, officials admit, this has not been enough. [04:46.74]Alathari said, "If the community is sharing their concerns, [04:52.10]then it's really incumbent on the person in authority to act on those concerns, [04:58.42]whether it's law enforcement, a workplace manager, [or] a school administrator." [05:05.62]But many believe that U.S. policies still fall short of a solution. [05:12.65]Critics argue that officials are too centered on mental health. [05:17.37]"With all these incidents, there's a common denominator of firearms [05:23.12]and easy access to guns and ammunition," said Colin Clarke, an expert at The Soufan Center. [05:32.16]"We still can't predict human behavior," Clarke noted. [05:36.75]"We can come up with all the great technologies in the world [05:40.82]but if guns are still readily available this [more mass shootings] is going to be the result." [05:46.88]I'm Ashley Thompson.更多听力请访问51VOA.COM