Active shooter incidents decreased by 50% last year, according to a new report from the FBI.
The FBI’s 2024 Active Shooter Incidents in the United States report says there were 24 active shooter incidents in the U.S., down from 48 in 2023. The FBI defines an active shooter as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” Mass killing incidents also decreased by 80% from 15 incidents in 2023 to three in 2024.
Casualties were also down 57%, from 105 killed and 139 wounded in 2023 to 23 killed and 83 wounded in 2024. In the incident with the highest number of casualties (14), four were killed and 10 were wounded. In two incidents, there were no casualties.
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According to the data, active shooter incidents occurred in 19 states. Texas had the most incidents with four while California and North Carolina had two each. One incident each occurred in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The most number of incidents happened in June (5) and September (4), and incidents were most likely to occur between 6 a.m. and 11:59 a.m.
Who Were the Active Shooters?
The report also shares statistics about the shooters, including:
- 22 were male (88%) and three were female (12%)
- In 2023, 48 were male and one was female
- The shooters were between the ages of 14 and 73
- In five incidents, there was a connection between the shooter and the location and/or at least one victim
- 14 were apprehended by law enforcement, six took their own lives, and five were killed by law enforcement
- In 2023, 30 were apprehended by law enforcement, seven took their own lives, and 112 were killed by law enforcement
- 29 firearms were used by the shooters, including 17 handguns (59%), nine rifles (31%), and three shotguns (10%)
- In one incident, the shooter used or attempted to use an improvised explosive device
2024 School Active Shooter Incidents
The active shooter incidents occurred in five location categories, including 12 in open spaces (50%), four in commerce (17%), four in education (17%), three in government (13%), and one in a house of worship (4%).
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Of the incidents that occurred in education, two were at private pre-K through 12 schools while two were at public high schools. There were 31 total casualties with 23 wounded and eight killed. Those incidents occurred at:
- Perry High School, Perry, Iowa (Jan. 2024)
- Apalachee High School, Winder, Ga. (Sept. 2024)
- Feather River Adventist Church, Oroville, Calif. (Dec. 2024)
- Abundant Life Christian Church, Madison, Wisc. (Dec. 2024)
Education had the youngest active shooter (age 14) in 2024. Two other shooters were also under the age of 18. Of the four shooters, three died by suicide at the scene before law enforcement arrived and one was apprehended by law enforcement at the scene. Three of the shooters were current students.
The education category had an average police response time of one minute and 48 seconds and an average incident duration of three minutes and 18 seconds.
