FBI: Slight drop in US of mass shootings

Mass shootings in the United States declined last year, but the number of victims injured in "active shooter" incidents rose more than it did in the prior four years, according to an FBI report released Wednesday.

Last year marked the first time in five years that the incidents declined. The overall trend has been toward more such shootings — both 2018 and 2019 saw 30 mass shootings apiece.

Overall, the number of deaths from active-shooter incidents last year, 100, was just shy of those recorded in 2021 and 2019, when 103 and 102 people died, respectively, the report said.

While the number of active-shooter incidents in 2022 was lower than the year before, "data shows an upward trend" in such incidents, the FBI said.

The report counted 50 active-shooter incidents in 2022 — or almost one a week — down from 61 the year before. They left 313 casualties, including 100 people killed, not including the shooters, compared with 243, including 103 deaths, in 2021. Casualty counts include both deaths and injuries. Only nine of the incidents saw no casualties.

The nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as when four or more people are shot or killed, not including the shooter, counted 646 such events last year and 690 the year before.

The FBI defines a mass shooting as when one or more individuals actively engage in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. The bureau’s definition excludes shootings motivated by gang violence, drug violence, domestic disputes or hostage situations, or resulting from another criminal act, like a bank robbery.

The shootings came most frequently in May, which featured nine such shootings, including the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two adults were killed, and a grocery store shooting in Buffalo, New York, where 10 were killed.

The active shooter incidents last year spanned 25 states and Washington DC, involved a total of 61 firearms, and took place at homes, schools, places of worship, open spaces and other locations.

Agencies contributed to this story.