BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Many are still trying to understand the shootings last month that claimed 13 innocent lives. On Friday, a group of scholars and researchers continued to discuss and debate Jiverly Wong's motives during a special conference at Binghamton University's Downtown Center.

Around 50 academics and clinicians attended the conference on mental health, which included a symposium entitled "Big Shootings in Small Towns: Mass Murder and Mental Illness." BU professor Mary Muscari, an expert on school and small-town shootings, gave the address with a focus on insight and prevention, especially among young people.

"We're going to focus more on children, even though this was more of an adult issue, But I think that since kids are a captive audience, our doing some preventative measures, our getting in there and doing some things early when we start noticing some signs is a little more likely with than with some of these loner type adults," Muscari said.

The all-day conference also included discussion on mental health in rural areas, Alzheimer’s and dementia.