'Pull A Columbine On Santana'

Spoke Of Enacting Columbine Massacre At School

(CBS)  The profile is familiar: a 15-year-old male, small for his age, who had been bullied and said he wanted to "pull a Columbine" at school, reports CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker.

That's how acquaintances describe the young man alleged to have opened fire Monday at Santana High School outside San Diego, killing two students and injuring 13 others.

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"He's a kid that gets picked on a lot, because he doesn't stand up for himself," says Chris Reynolds, 29, who knows the suspected gunman. "Anybody tries anything with him, he just takes it."

The latest alleged high school shooter displayed all the signs of a young man in trouble, and he had easy access to guns. It's the deadly mix that lead to Columbine — and now Santana.

"No, he would never," says Josh Stevens of the suspect, a friend. "He's the kind of person who would never do anything like that."

But other friends say the suspect spoke of violence.

"All I remember him saying is that, 'One of these days, I'm gonna pull a Columbine On Santana,'" says one student. "And he had a .22 at his house before, because he had a gun case, so I knew he had access to a gun."

Warning Signs

Do any of the children you know display the following characteristics?

The National School Safety Center says that while there's no sure way to know if a person is potentially dangerous, this list provides a good starting point.

Has a history of tantrums and uncontrollable angry outbursts.

Characteristically resorts to name calling, cursing or abusive language.

Habitually makes violent threats when angry.

Has previously brought a weapon to school.

Has a background of serious disciplinary problems at school and in the community.

Has a background of drug, alcohol or other substance abuse or dependency.

Is on the fringe of his/her peer group with few or no close friends.

Is preoccupied with weapons, explosives or other incendiary devices.

Has previously been truant, suspended or expelled from school.

Displays cruelty to animals.

Has little or no supervision and support from parents or a carng adult.

Has witnessed or been a victim of abuse or neglect in the home.

Has been bullied and/or bullies or intimidates peers or younger children.

Tends to blame others for difficulties and problems s/he causes her/himself.

Consistently prefers TV shows, movies or music expressing violent themes and acts.

Prefers reading materials dealing with violent themes, rituals and abuse.

Reflects anger, frustration and the dark side of life in school essays or writing projects.

Is involved with a gang or an antisocial group on the fringe of peer acceptance.

Is often depressed and/or has significant mood swings.

Has threatened or attempted suicide.

With all the signs, no one came forward. Friends say they didn't take the threats seriously, or didn't want to get the suspect in trouble.

But that logic is wrong, says Marlene Wong, director of mental health services for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"I believe all threats must be taken seriously, even those in jest," she says.

In many schools they are taking threats seriously. In just the past three weeks, would-be school shooters were arrested before anyone was harmed in six different cities.

In each case, the arrangement was the same: a student planned to set off bombs as a diversion, then gun down classmates in the confusion. But each time, other students notified adults before hand.

Communication is the key to stopping violence, say the more than 100 students and school administrators from across the country meeting Monday in Washington to discuss school violence.

"Students still don't feel comfortable to come to an adult if they know another student has a gun," says school safety expert Curtis Lavarello.

The suspect in Monday's rampage picked the weapon of choice for children who kill, or want to kill, reports CBS News Correspondent Byron Pitts: 9 of 10 use a gun.

Despite recent episodes of school violence, they are much too easy to get, says Lavarello.

"Young people still feel that students and young people across the country still have far too great accessibility to firearms," said Laverello, who is executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, an organization of school-based police officers.

At Santana High School all of these elements came together with deadly results.

While statistically school shootings are on the decrease in the U.S., thanks in part to improved security, they are still far to common, Lavarello says.

"We can bring in all the technology we want into schools, but what we need to do is make young people comfortable to speak with adults," he adds.

That is the urgent bulletin school administrators have issued to parents and students, especially now: most school shootings have occurred near the end of the school year.

Chris Reynolds wishes he would have spoken up. He says the suspec talked about bringing a gun to school when he spent the night at his home Saturday.

Reynolds didn't think the boy was serious.

"I'm upset with myself for not doing anything," Reynolds said. "I made a bad choice."