A petition calling for the administration to instead focus on the shooter's motives, mental state and even proximity to "violent video games" has received around 15,000 signatures.
If he were white and hadn't mentioned ISIS, there might be a domestic or family-related motive, or mental illness, or a bizarre, mysterious lack of motive.
They would not discuss Mr. Eisenberg's motive or mental state, but said he could face federal as well as state charges once the investigation was complete.
Mr. Loughner's state of mind, in the weeks and months before the shootings and perhaps especially on Saturday morning itself, has emerged as a major subtext of the investigation here, as the authorities try to understand his motive and mental state.
A gunman kills four people at a Planned Parenthood clinic, and many are sure he is a pro-life zealot propelled by conservative attacks on the organization - even before we know his name, mental health status, or motive.
Instantly, the nexus of ulterior motives and mental crises creates a crackling atmosphere of anxiety and clenched resentment.
Both sides emerged from the weekend cognizant of the ways in which a politically charged act of violence, whatever the actual motives or mental state of the gunman, can recalibrate the national dialogue.
The Valentine's Day massacre at Northern Illinois University, like the killings at places such as Columbine High School and Virginia Tech, has evoked expressions of horror and sympathy and familiar questions about the killer's motives and mental health.
Personality is a system of parts such as motives, emotions, mental models, and the self, which is organized, develops, and is expressed consistently in a person's actions [2].
People questioned his mental stability and his motives.
