Mass shootings on rise in U.S., FBI claims
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. shootings in which multiple people have been killed or wounded has increased dramatically, with the majority of attacks during the past decade occurring at a business or a school, according to an FBI report.
The study focused on 160 “active shooter incidents” from 2000 to 2013. Those are typically defined as cases in which a gunman in an attack shoots or attempts to shoot people in a populated area.
The goal of the report, which excluded shootings that are gang and drug related, was to compile accurate data about the attacks and to help police prepare for or respond to similar killings in the future, federal law enforcement officials said.
“These incidents, the large majority of them, are over in minutes. So it’s going to have to be a teaching and training of the best tactics, techniques and procedures to our state and local partners,” said James F. Yacone, an FBI assistant director who oversees crisis response and was involved in the study.
According to the report, released Wednesday, an average of six shooting incidents occurred in the first seven years that were studied. That average rose to more than 16 per year in the last seven years of the study. That included the 2012 shootings at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
The majority of the shootings occurred either at a business or a school, university or other education facility, according to the study, conducted in conjunction with Texas State University.
More than 1,000 people were killed or wounded in the shootings. In about one-quarter of the cases, the shooter committed suicide before the police arrived. The gunman acted alone in all but two of the cases. The shooters were female in at least six of the incidents.
Though it’s hard to say why the number of shootings has increased, officials say they believe many shooters are inspired by past killings and the resulting notoriety.
“The copycat phenomenon is real,” said Andre Simons of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. “As more and more notable and tragic events occur, we think we’re seeing more compromised, marginalized individuals who are seeking inspiration from those past attacks.”