Last year, the number of active shooter incidents in the U.S. decreased, but the number of people who were shot increased, according to the FBI’s latest data.
In 2022, the FBI designated 50 shootings as active shooter incidents. That’s an 18% decrease compared to 2021, which had 61 incidents. However, last year’s number of incidents represents a 66.7% increase compared to 2018, which experienced 30 incidents, the report said.
Last year there were 313 casualties: 100 killed and 213 wounded. The total number of casualties was higher last year compared to 2021, which had 243 casualties. The number of casualties in 2022 was the highest in five years.
Other key findings include:
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- Texas had the most incidents (six), followed by Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and New York, each with three.
- Sunday had the highest number of incidents, but active shooter attacks happened on every day of the week, and the shootings were more likely to occur between 12 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.
- May 2022 had the highest number of incidents (nine), while the months of January and September had the fewest (one each).
- 8% of the incidents happened at educational facilities, while 2% happened in healthcare facilities. Open spaces had the highest number at 23, and commerce had the second highest number at 14.
- 97% of the active shooters were male, one was female, one was nonbinary, and one was unidentified.
- Shooter ages ranged from 15 to 70 years old.
- 61 firearms were used in the 50 incidents: 29 handguns, 26 rifles, three shotguns, and three unknown.
- Two incidents involved snipers.
- Four shooters wore body armor.
- 29 shooters were apprehended by law enforcement, seven were killed by law enforcement, two were killed by armed citizens, nine committed suicide, and three remain at large.
- In 48% of the attacks, the shooter had a known connection to the location and/or at least one victim. In 52% of the incidents, there was no known connection identified.
- 13 of the 50 incidents were deemed mass killings (three or more killings in a single incident).
- The Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas in May 2022 had the second highest number of casualties from an active shooter attack: 21 killed and 17 wounded. The highest number of casualties happened in Highland Park, Illinois: seven killed and 48 wounded.
