A list of mass killings in the United States this year
The latest mass killing in the US occurred on Sunday in King City in central California, where police said a group of men wearing masks opened fire at an outdoor party, killing four people and wounding seven others.
Police said they responded to a reported shooting and found three men with gunshot wounds who were pronounced dead in a front yard. A woman also died after someone took her to an area hospital about 105 miles (170 kilometers) south of San Jose.
Several people were at the party outside a house when three men wearing dark masks and clothing got out of a silver car and shot at the group. The suspects then fled in the car. The investigation is still ongoing, police said.
King City is a community of about 14,000 people in the southern farm country of the Salinas Valley, on the inland side of the coastal mountains. The US Army Fort Hunter Liggett Training Center is nearby. The city is also known as the gateway to Pinnacles National Park.
This was the 10th 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 47 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.
The country is currently witnessing the third highest number of deaths from mass killings in a single year. Only 2023 and 2008 saw more, with 57 deaths each. Last year ended with 42 mass murders and 217 deaths, making it one of the deadliest years on record.
According to the database, 584 mass killings have occurred since Monday, killing 3,036 people and injuring 2,047.
A look at other American mass killings this year:
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.