Shooter

Cameron is Len’s friend. We learn about many of the tragedy’s details through him. Cameron is complex. Myers makes him sympathetic in his interviews with Dr. Ewings, where he opens up about being bullied by fellow students and his father. At the same time, Cameron seems emotionally numb and passive.

Originally a suspect in the shootings, he is not charged. However, he lacked the fortitude to stand up to Len and challenge him. He goes along with a lot of Len’s devious endeavors, such as when vandalizing the church. When Ewings asks him how he felt when the Patriots used a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for target practice, Cameron reveals his emotional detachment, responding: “No big deal. I didn’t agree with it, but it was no big deal. You don’t have to like everything that everybody does” (24).

In spite of his high IQ, Cameron tells the psychologist: “I think I’m average. Pretty much average” (14). His low self-image may be the result of his father’s constant beratement.

Carla Evans comes from a troubled and impoverished family, which caused her to shun the mainstream and embrace being an outsider. Her parents divorced when she was young. She lived with her mother for a while and then her father, but both failed to provide a stable and secure environment. After her stepbrother molested her, she left her drunkard father’s “creepy trailer” and entered foster care (107). These family traumas influenced her to “go dark” and adopt a Goth look that includes dark mascara, black lipstick, and blue streaks in her hair. Again, we see the grave impact of familial abuse.

In her interview with Franklyn Bonner, a threat assessment specialist, she says she liked hanging out with Len and Cameron because they were outsiders like her: “Len was real dark, and Cameron was getting there,” she says (110). “I liked them both. […] Len was outside, Cameron was outside, and I was, like, drifting in Geek City” (110) Asked why she thought she was outside, Carla responded: “Because that’s where I wanted to be. I didn’t want to go down no Yellow Brick Road or follow some bluebird to happiness” (110). She says she never had sex with either Len or Cameron, but that they were growing close emotionally. Carla is evasive during the interview, refusing to answer questions about the molestation. Asked if she ever had sex with a boy, she replies: “Sort of” (109). One can infer that she avoids physicality because of  the past sexual assault.

Dr. Ewings is a senior county psychologist. He shows empathy when interviewing Cameron about the shooting. For example, when Cameron tells him that the media distorted his musical tastes, Ewings replies sympathetically: “And I really appreciate that, Cameron. One of the things that I see on a regular basis is how the media can distort reality” (14). When Cameron appears to be struggling, Ewings tells him: “It’s okay to show your emotions, Cameron. Crying is no big deal. It’s just another way that humans have to express themselves” (32).

As a result of his empathy, Cameron opens up to Ewings about being bullied by his father and peers. We see that a humane approach has a positive impact. In contrast, Cameron will not open up to Special Agent Lash, who doesn’t show the same compassion. One may wonder if the shooting would have occurred had adults been compassionate with Len.