Stop the Killing

What happens when three experienced investigators from opposite sides of the world sit down to examine how police respond to an active shooter?

In this special crossover between Stop the Killing and Watching Two Detectives, former FBI Special Agent Katherine Schweit joins retired New South Wales detectives Peter Hogan and Scott Rogan for an expert examination of the lessons that have reshaped mass-shooting prevention, preparation and police response.

Katherine was working on national security and counterterrorism cases when the murder of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School changed the direction of her career. Following the shooting, she was appointed to the White House team tasked with developing a coordinated national response to mass shootings and became the architect of the FBI’s Active Shooter Program.

In Part One, Katherine explains how the devastating events at Sandy Hook helped accelerate a fundamental change in policing: moving away from the traditional strategy of “contain, negotiate and wait” towards the immediate deployment of officers to confront and stop an active threat.

Peter and Scott reveal how those lessons travelled across the world and influenced Australian policing. They discuss the introduction of New South Wales Police’s Active Armed Offender training, the impact of the 2014 Lindt Café siege and the confronting reality of preparing ordinary frontline officers to run towards attackers armed with military-style weapons.

Together, they explore:


Why active-shooter incidents can be over within minutes


The extraordinary risks faced by the first officers entering the scene


Why an active shooter and a mass shooting are not always the same thing


Why workplaces—not schools—account for many active-shooter attacks in the United States


The challenges of negotiating with attackers driven by extremist or ideological motives


Why warning signs must be recognised and reported before violence begins


How information shared by one student helped prevent a planned school shooting


Why measuring the attacks that never happened is so important

Katherine also shares the remarkable story of the message that reminded her why Stop the Killing must continue: a school vice principal who credited the podcast with helping her team recognise the warning signs and prevent a planned attack.

This conversation lays the groundwork for the next part of the series, when Katherine, Peter and Scott turn their attention to the December 14, 2025 Bondi Beach terrorist attack, examining the actions of the attackers, civilians and responding officers through their combined FBI and Australian policing experience. The attack targeted a Hanukkah celebration and killed 15 people. 

This is not simply a conversation about what happened. It is a conversation about what has been learned, what has changed—and what still needs to change to stop the next attack.

Listen now to Part One of this special multi-part crossover.

Stop the Killing on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/stop-the-killing/id1585146489

Watching Two Detectives on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/watching-two-detectives/id1740792484

Watching Two Detectives Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/wtd

Stop the Killing Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/stopthekilling

Please follow both podcasts and leave a five-star review wherever you listen. Your support helps us continue producing independent investigations, sharing the experiences of survivors and law-enforcement professionals, and creating conversations that may genuinely help save lives.

Join us for Part Two, when the experts begin their examination of the Bondi Beach attack.

This episode contains discussions of mass shootings, terrorism, child victims and traumatic events. Listener discretion is advised.

This is a Sarah Ferris Media on the Killer Podcasts Network

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In this Stop the Killing update, Katherine Schweit revisits the Richneck Elementary School shooting in Newport News, Virginia — the case where a six-year-old student shot his teacher, Abigail Zwerner, in January 2023.

This episode focuses on the latest legal development: the dismissal of criminal charges against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, who had been accused of felony child abuse and endangerment after warnings were allegedly raised before the shooting.

Katherine explains what happened in court, why the judge dismissed the charges, and why this case continues to raise difficult questions about school shooting prevention, gun safety, child access to firearms, school accountability, and legal responsibility.

When a six-year-old cannot be held criminally responsible, who can be? The parent? The school? The administrator? The system?

For more detail on the original incident, listen to our earlier episode:Richneck Elementary School – Stop the Killinghttps://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/richneck-elementary-school/id1585146489?i=1000610558667

You can also listen to our follow-up episode on the case here:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/stop-the-killing/id1585146489?i=1000621142440

In this episode:Katherine discusses the Richneck Elementary shooting, the criminal case against Ebony Parker, the role of school warnings, the mother’s conviction for child neglect, and the broader accountability crisis surrounding children, firearms, and school safety.

Keywords: Richneck Elementary School shooting, Newport News school shooting, Abigail Zwerner, six-year-old shooter, Ebony Parker, school shooting prevention, gun safety, child access to guns, school accountability, Stop the Killing podcast, Katherine Schweit.

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In Part Two of this powerful conversation, Katherine Schweit continues her discussion with Whitney Austin — survivor of the 2018 Cincinnati mass shooting and founder of Whitney Strong.

In Part One, Whitney shared the moment she was shot 12 times in less than a minute while walking into her workplace.

In this episode, we pick up where that story left off.

Whitney takes us through the long road to recovery — multiple surgeries, months of physical and mental rehabilitation, and the determination it took to rebuild her life.

But survival was only the beginning.

Whitney shares how that experience became the catalyst for action — leading her to create Whitney Strong, an organisation focused on finding common ground to reduce gun violence through practical, data-driven solutions.

This episode explores:


The physical and mental recovery after surviving a mass shooting


Turning trauma into purpose


The creation and mission of Whitney Strong


Community-based solutions to prevent gun violence


The reality of pushing for change — and why persistence matters

From hands-on safety training to advocating for targeted legislation, Whitney explains how small, practical actions can come together to save lives.

This is a conversation about what comes after survival — and how one person can turn tragedy into impact.

Learn more about Whitney’s work:Whitney Strong

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And for all things Katherine Schweit including where you can purchase her book STOP THE KILLING: How to end the mass shooting crisis head to: www.katherineschweit.com

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In this powerful first part of a two-part conversation, Katherine Schweit speaks with Whitney Austin, survivor of the 2018 Cincinnati mass shooting and founder of Whitney Strong.

Whitney shares the ordinary morning that became life-changing: driving from Kentucky to Cincinnati for work, walking into her office building while on a conference call, and suddenly finding herself caught in an active shooter situation.

Shot 12 times, Whitney recalls the terrifying moments inside the revolving door, the clarity that helped her survive, the first responders who reached her, and the phone call to her husband that no family should ever receive.

This episode explores survival, situational awareness, trauma, and the ripple effects of violence — not only on those physically injured, but on families, workplaces, first responders, and entire communities.

In Part Two, Katherine and Whitney discuss recovery, Whitney Strong, and how Whitney turned unimaginable trauma into action.

Learn more about Whitney’s work:Whitney Strong

In this episode:


Whitney Austin’s experience during the 2018 Cincinnati shooting


Why situational awareness matters


The role of first responders in active shooter events


The impact of gun violence beyond the immediate victims


What it means to survive — and begin again

Part Two is out next week.

For early access, ad-free episodes, and to support the work we do, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or visit:patreon.com/stopthekilling

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Message us on instagram : 

@conmunitypodcast

@stopthekillingstories

And for all things Katherine Schweit including where you can purchase her book STOP THE KILLING: How to end the mass shooting crisis head to: www.katherineschweit.com

RESOURCES

Stop the Bleed training

FBI 

RUN, HIDE, FIGHT

This is a CONmunity Podcast Production on the Killer Podcasts Network

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CONNING THE CON

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Klooghless: The Long Con 

Watching Two Detectives 
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In Part 2 of this conversation, former FBI agent Katherine Schweit continues her deep dive with experts from Integras Intelligence — unpacking one of the most misunderstood and frustrating questions in the aftermath of targeted violence.

Joining Katherine are:


Michael Ginch, Manager, Investigations


Forhad Razzaque, President


Why many perpetrators have no obvious warning signs — and why that’s increasing


The uncomfortable truth: people close to offenders are often shocked by what happens 


Why “being on the radar” can mean almost anything — from minor past incidents to vague concerns


The legal reality: why law enforcement can’t act without threshold evidence


How free speech and civil liberties limit intervention — even when something feels wrong


Why monitoring the internet is not as simple as it sounds (and why it’s impossible to catch everything)


The problem of false positives — and why context matters more than keywords

One of the most striking takeaways from this episode:

👉 Many organisations don’t even have a basic system for reporting concerns.

Which means:


Warning signs may never reach decision-makers


Employees don’t know who to tell


And even when they do… there’s no clear process for action

As the Integras team explains, prevention isn’t about catching everything —it’s about what you do when something is flagged.

You can’t prevent every act of violence.

But you can build systems that make it harder to miss the signals that matter.

Because when something goes wrong, the real question isn’t just:

“Were they on the radar?”

It’s:

“What did we do when they were?”

In Part 1, Katherine breaks down:


What background checks actually reveal


Why investigations are limited by law


And how risk is assessed before an incident

Learn more about the team behind this episode:👉 ⁠https://integrasintel.com/about/team/⁠

WANT THE VIDEOS HEAD TO YOUTUBE ⁠@sarahferrismedia⁠ 

And if you are wanting AD FREE | EARLY ACCESS | BONUS CONTENT 

HIT THE BANNER ON ⁠APPLE PODCASTS TO SUBSCRIBE⁠

OR SUPPORT US:⁠ ⁠⁠Patreon.com/stopthekilling⁠ 

Message us on instagram :⁠ ⁠

⁠@conmunitypodcast⁠

⁠@stopthekillingstories⁠

And for all things Katherine Schweit including where you can purchase her book STOP THE KILLING: How to end the mass shooting crisis head to: ⁠www.katherineschweit.com⁠

RESOURCES

⁠Stop the Bleed training⁠

⁠FBI ⁠

⁠RUN, HIDE, FIGHT⁠

This is a ⁠CONmunity Podcast Production⁠ on the Killer Podcasts Network

Check out more:

⁠CONNING THE CON⁠

⁠KLOOGHLESS - THE LONG CON⁠

⁠GUILTY GREENIE⁠

⁠THE BRAVERY ACADEMY⁠

⁠Klooghless: The Long Con⁠ 
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