We Must Stop Ignoring the Warnings—Radicalization Begins at Home

Another school shooting hits the news, and once again we find ourselves asking the same heartbreaking question: **How did this happen?**

This week, Denver Police reported that the teenage gunman who opened fire in a Colorado high school—injuring two fellow students—may have been radicalized. Law enforcement is exploring ties to an “extremist network.” Whether it’s online, in the neighborhood, or lurking in virtual echo chambers of hate, this is a phrase we hear more and more in these headlines—“extremist influence,” “radical ideology,” “online radicalization.” And it worries me deeply.

As a veteran, I’ve seen what fanaticism and unchecked ideology can create on foreign soil. But this—the radicalization of American youth in our own schools, of our own kids—is a homegrown crisis that hits every parent, teacher, and neighbor in the heart.

From Student to Suspect—How Does This Keep Happening?

Violence in schools isn’t new, but the motivations behind these acts seem to be getting darker, faster. According to preliminary reports, this teenager may have been under the influence of an extremist online group. We don’t yet know the full story—was it racism? Hate speech? Anti-government sentiment? But we do know this: someone reached this young man before help—or hope—could.

This wasn’t just a “bad kid.” This was a kid who got lost in a space no teacher could see. And most likely, no parent fully understood. We live in a time where a child with a smartphone has unfiltered access to the darkest corners of the internet—groups that groom vulnerable minds just as gangs once did on street corners, only now it happens in chat rooms, gaming apps, and online forums.

We Keep Failing the Same Test

After every tragedy, we analyze school security. We talk about doors, metal detectors, mental health screenings. All important, no doubt. But we’ve been putting band-aids on bullet wounds. What we’re not doing—at least not well enough—is confronting the ecosystem that surrounds these vulnerable young people.

What are we doing to give kids a sense of purpose? A reason to belong? A reason to feel seen?

Because make no mistake—these extremist groups out there *offer* young people something they lack: belonging, status, identity, a false sense of power. And they’re filling a gap we have left open too long in our homes and our communities.

We All Have a Role to Play

I’m speaking both as someone who proudly wore the uniform and as a Black man who knows what it’s like to be stereotyped, feared, and sometimes targeted before I’ve even opened my mouth. I’ve been on both sides of trust and authority. And I say this plainly—we *need to look inside our neighborhoods, schools, policy discussions, and homes before looking for quick fixes.*

Guns are too accessible—I won’t sugarcoat that. But this isn’t only about firearms. It’s about the fact that *hatred is accessible.* Racism is accessible. Extremism is being served quietly, sometimes in clever memes or videos shared within groups of so-called peers. It’s often under the radar—until the shots ring out.

Look Closer. Speak Sooner. Love Louder.

If you’re a parent, check your kid’s digital world—not just their browser history, but who they interact with and what kind of ideas they’re absorbing. If you’re an educator, don’t dismiss that “quiet kid” in the back as disengaged. They may be hurting in silence or searching for something they don’t yet understand. If you’re a neighbor, mentor, pastor, coach—**BE PRESENT**. Be aware.

We need to start considering not just academic indicators of student success, but emotional and social ones too. Because a child with no one to talk to can turn into a child who listens to the wrong people.

The Fight Against Extremism Starts Early—and It’s Local

This isn’t just a policing or policy issue. This is a community issue. A *family* issue. A **values** issue.

If we only react when extremists act, we’re already behind.

We should be educating kids about digital literacy just as we do sex education or math. Show them how narratives can be twisted. Help them recognize manipulation. And we must rebuild the trust between our institutions and our youth so that they turn to *us*—not dangerous echo chambers—for answers.

Final Thoughts

This young shooter didn’t wake up one morning and suddenly decide to bring a weapon to school. Seeds were planted. Patterns missed. Pain ignored. Somewhere, somebody saw a sign and stayed silent. Maybe out of fear. Maybe uncertainty.

Let’s break that silence. Let’s pull a young person closer