The number of mass shootings in the U.S. is escalating and so are the fatalities. Here are the top 10 mass shootings in American history:
1. Las Vegas, Nevada (10/1/2017) — Fifty-eight people attending a country music concert along the Las Vegas Strip were killed and hundreds more injured when a gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor of a hotel. Authorities are still investigating a possible motive.
2. Orlando, Florida (6/12/2016) — Forty-nine people were killed and at least 50 injured at a gay nightclub by a gunman who was eventually killed by police that night. The attacker called himself an “Islamic soldier” and claimed allegiance to the terrorist group ISIS.
3. Blacksburg, Virginia (4/17/2007) — A 23-year-old student with a history of mental illness used multiple handguns to kill 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus before taking his own life. Officials later found a large manifesto expressing the shooter’s anger at society.
4. Sandy Hook, Connecticut (12/14/2012) — Twenty children and six adults were killed at an elementary school by a 20-year-old man with a history of mental illness. The shooter then killed himself inside a classroom. The gunman’s mother, who had legally purchased the guns used by her son, was also killed the same day by the attacker in her home.
5. Sutherland Springs, Texas (11/5/2017) — An Air Force veteran stormed a small church during Sunday services and killed 26 people. The assailant, who had been court-martialed in 2012 for domestic violence, was killed in a shootout with police following a short chase.
6. Killeen, Texas (10/16/1991) — A former Merchant Marine drove his pickup truck into a Luby’s restaurant before getting out and killing 23 people. The 35-year-old gunman killed himself at the scene during a shootout with police. The shooter’s reported hatred of women and minorities was cited as a possible motive.
7. San Ysidro, California (7/18/1984) — Armed with three guns, a 41-year-old man stormed a McDonald’s on the outskirts of San Diego and killed 21 people. He was killed by a police sniper an hour later. The gunman showed signs of mental disturbance and had requested an appointment at a mental health clinic the day before the massacre.
8. Austin, Texas (8/1/1966) — After killing his wife and mother, a 25-year-old student shot 14 more people from a tower on the University of Texas campus. Two police officers were able to kill the former Marine sharpshooter while people below ran for safety. Some believe a brain tumor may have caused the man’s violent behavior.
9. Parkland, Florida (2/14/2018) — A 19-year-old former student killed at least 17 people inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the same school he’d been banished from years before. The shooter escaped along with evacuating students but was arrested by police later that day. Police say the gunman, whose adoptive mother died last year, was being treated for mental health issues and had a history of depression.
10. San Bernardino, California (12/2/2015) — A married couple with ties to Islamic terrorism killed 14 people at a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center. Both died a short distance away in a shootout with police the same day.
Related reading: Killing Fields, U.S.A.; To the mama who said goodbye far too soon and without fair warning; Killing machines and killing procedures; Parkland area Catholics remember the slain
