How many mass shootings and school shootings have occurred in 2024? Madison just the latest
Three people, including the shooter, are dead, while six others were injured Monday after a 15-year-old student opened fire at a private school in Madison, Wisconsin in the latest school shooting to rock the nation.
The shooting occurred Monday morning in a classroom at Abundant Life Christian School during study hall, said Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, who added that a second-grade student called 911 to report an active shooter at 10:57 a.m. local time.
One teacher and one teen were killed in the incident and two students were in critical condition as of Monday night, according to authorities. Three other students and one teacher suffered non-life-threatening injuries; two of the victims were released from nearby hospitals. Officials have not released the names of the victims.
The suspect, identified Monday night as Natalie Rupnow, died on the way to a local hospital of what police believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Barnes said. A motive for the shooting has not yet been identified.
"Today truly is a sad day for Madison and for our country," Barnes said. "It is a day that I believe will live in our collective minds for a very, very long time."
A recent report published by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions said firearms were the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the United States for the third consecutive year, and homicides accounted for the majority of gun deaths among the age group.
How many mass shootings have taken place in 2024?
There have been 488 mass shooting cases in the United States in 2024, according to the database maintained by Gun Violence America (GVA). The deadliest incident took place in the Chicago suburb of Joliet on Jan. 21 in which 8 people were killed, including two teenagers, and one was injured.
Gun Violence America defines a mass shooting as one with "a minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident."
How many mass killings have occurred in 2024?
There have been 37 incidents of mass killings with 160 victims in the United States in 2024 so far, according to a database maintained by Paste BN, Northeastern University and The Associated Press.
A mass killing is defined as the intentional killing of four or more victims – excluding the deaths of unborn children and the offender(s) – by any means within a 24-hour period. This definition includes cases involving all weapons (shooting, blunt force, stabbing, explosives), types (public, felony-related, and familicides), motivations (domestic dispute, profit, revenge, terrorism, hate), victim-offender relationships (stranger, family, acquaintance, co-worker), and number of locations. The Madison, Wisconsin shooting, which left two dead as of Tuesday, would not qualify as a mass killing under the database's definition.
How many school shootings took place in 2024?
GVA has reported 971 cases of school shootings across the United States in 2024, with many of them having no victims or injuries. The database has tracked 112 school shootings in which a victim was injured or killed. The deadliest incident took place in the Atlanta suburb of Winder on Sep. 4 at Apalachee High School and left four dead.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.