The latest mass killing in the US occurred on Monday, April 29 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where four officers were fatally shot in the deadliest attack on US law enforcement since 2016.
The officers were killed when a task force made up of officers from several agencies arrived in the residential area of the city of 900,000 residents to try to arrest a 39-year-old man who had an arrest warrant for possession of a firearm by an ex-felon and who had fled. to escape into another province. The man was also killed.
Four other officers were injured during the shootout, and an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, a 40-caliber pistol and ammunition were found at the scene. Investigators could not immediately determine whether the man acted alone.
It was the 15th mass killing in the country this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At least 68 people have been killed this year in these killings, which are defined as incidents in which four or more people are killed within a 24-hour period, not including the killer — the same definition used by the FBI.
Last year ended with 217 deaths from 42 mass killings in the US, making 2023 one of the country’s deadliest years on record.
As of Wednesday, May 1, there have been 589 mass killings since 2006, with 3,057 people killed and 2,058 injured, according to the database.
Here’s a look at other American mass killings this year:
YUKON, OKLAHOMA: April 22
A 10-year-old boy woke up to find his parents and three brothers dead in their home near Oklahoma City, all fatally shot by his father, police said. Authorities believe the 42-year-old man killed his wife and three sons — ages 18, 14 and 12 — and then turned the gun on himself. Police said they did not immediately know why the fourth child was spared and did not have a motive for the shootings.
ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS: March 27
Within a few minutes, four people were killed and at least seven people were injured in a frenzied stabbing and punching spree. Authorities said a 22-year-old man was charged. Police did not immediately know his motive. Rockford’s mayor said the victims were 63, 23, 49 and 15 years old.
IRELAND, WEST VIRGINIA: March 11
The bodies of four people ranging in age from 3 months to 90 years were found in the remains of a burning house. A fifth person with an apparent gunshot wound was found dead behind a nearby chicken coop, authorities said. A 45-year-old male suspect was also found dead by suicide in a vehicle about 110 miles (177 kilometers) away, parked outside his relatives’ home. Authorities did not immediately share details on a motive.
HONOLULU, HAWAII: March 10
Authorities say a woman and three children, ages 10, 12 and 17, were fatally stabbed at a home in Manoa. The woman’s husband was also found dead. Preliminary investigation shows that the man fatally stabbed his wife and children. Authorities did not immediately share a motive. Police said the five deaths mark the state’s worst mass killing since 1999. They said there was no history of domestic calls to the home.
KING CITY, CALIFORNIA: March 3
Police said three men wearing dark masks got out of a silver Kia and opened fire at an outdoor party in central California, killing four people — three men and a woman — and wounding seven others. The shooting took place on a street of modest homes across from a commercial district. About 14,000 people live in King City, located in farmland on the inland side of the coastal mountains and known as the gateway to Pinnacles National Park.
FERGUSON, MISSOURI: February 19
Authorities said a 39-year-old woman deliberately set a fire in her home to kill herself and her four children, ages 2, 5, 9 and 9. Investigators believe the mother set fire to a mattress and left a note explaining her intentions. killing herself and her children, police said. Responding firefighters found the house in flames. Neighbors had tried to save the family, but the fire was too intense.
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: February 16
Officials said four men were killed in a drive-by shooting in a neighborhood. Dozens of shots were fired outside a home in Birmingham, police said. A group was standing outside a house while people were getting their cars washed when someone drove by and opened fire. There were no immediate reports of arrests.
HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIFORNIA: February 11
Shootings over several hours left four people dead: a man in Bell, a man in a Los Angeles mall parking lot, a 14-year-old boy in Cudahy and a homeless man in Huntington Park, authorities said. At least one other youth was injured. Two suspected gang members have been arrested in connection with the shooting, authorities said.
EAST LANSDOWNE, PENNSYLVANIA: February 7
Six sets of human remains have been recovered from the ashes of a fire that destroyed a home about five miles from Philadelphia, according to the county attorney’s office. Authorities suspect the deceased relatives – including three children – were killed by a 43-year-old male relative, who also died after shooting and wounding two police officers, the office added. A motive was not immediately identified.
EL MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA: January 23
Authorities found the bodies of six men in the Mojave Desert outside the sparsely populated community of El Mirage after someone called 911 and said he had been shot, sheriff’s officials said. The men were likely shot during a dispute over marijuana, local authorities said. The bodies were found about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles in an area known for illegal cannabis operations. Five men were arrested and charged with murder.
JOLIET, ILLINOIS: January 21
Authorities said a 23-year-old man shot eight people — including seven of his family members — and injured a ninth person in a Chicago suburb. He later fatally shot himself during a confrontation with police in Texas. Authorities believe he was trying to reach Mexico. Police said the victims included his mother, siblings, aunt, uncle and two men he may not have known. They were found in two houses, outside an apartment complex and on a residential street.
TINLEY PARK, ILLINOIS: January 21
A 63-year-old man in a Chicago suburb killed his wife and three adult daughters in a domestic shooting, police said. The man is said to have shot the four family members – 53, 24 years old and two 25-year-old twins – after an argument at their home. He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
RICHMOND, TEXAS: January 13
A 46-year-old man fatally shot his estranged wife and three other family members, including his 8-year-old niece, at a suburban Houston home before killing himself, authorities said. The man opened fire in the house just before 7 a.m. that Saturday after returning his young child from a visit. Authorities said that after arriving at the home, he told his estranged wife that he wanted to reunite, but she refused. In addition to killing his niece and estranged wife, he also murdered her brother and sister, ages 43 and 46.
REEDLEY, CALIFORNIA: January 6
A 17-year-old boy was charged with murdering four members of a neighboring family in central California. He lived next door to the victims – ages 81, 61, 44 and 43 – in Reedley, a small town near Fresno. Three bodies were found in the backyard of their home, including one buried in a shallow grave, police said. One body was found in the detached garage of the teen’s home, police said.