On the afternoon of Saturday, May 14, 2022, an 18-year old white man armed with an assault-style rifle opened fire at a grocery store parking lot in Buffalo, New York. The rampage, which was live-streamed by the shooter and appears to have been racially motivated, continued inside the store. By the time the gunman surrendered to police, 10 people were killed and three wounded.Â
Mass shootings – defined as shooting events in which four or more people are shot or killed, not including the perpetrator – are on the rise in the United States. According to Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization that tracks gun violence in the United States, the annual number of mass shootings has more than doubled since 2018, when there were 336 incidents. In 2021, there were 693 mass shootings. (Murders overall have increased by record levels. These are the states where murder rate is soaring.)
The recent tragedy now ranks among the deadliest mass shooting events in U.S. history. Since the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, there have been 21 mass shootings that have resulted in 10 or more deaths – and the Buffalo shooting is the latest.Â
Using the GVA archive database as well as local media reports, 24/7 Wall St. identified the deadliest mass shootings since Columbine.Â
Though the time period in question spans over two decades, nearly half of the shootings on this list have taken place in the last five years. (Gun sales have been increasing in the past few years, although they seem to have peaked. Gun sales plunged, here’s each state’s figure.)
Click here to see the deadliest mass shootings since the Columbine massacre
Click here to read our detailed methodology
Source: Chet Strange / Getty Images News via Getty Images
21. Boulder, Colorado shooting
> Victims: 10 fatalities
> Date and place: March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado
> Weapon(s) used: AR-556 pistol (all weapons legally obtained)
[in-text-ad]
Source: John Normile / Getty Images News via Getty Images
20. Buffalo, New York shooting
> Victims: 10 fatalities, 3 injuries
> Date and place: May 14, 2022 in a Buffalo, New York grocery store
> Weapon(s) used: Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic rifle (legally obtained)
Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
19. Red Lake, Minnesota shooting
> Victims: 10 fatalities, 10 injuries
> Date and place: March, 21 2005 in Red Lake Indian Reservation
> Weapon(s) used: .22 pistol, .40 pistol, 12-gauge shotgun (all weapons obtained illegally)
Source: Bob Levey / Getty Images News via Getty Images
18. Santa Fe High School shooting
> Victims: 10 fatalities, 13 injuries
> Date and place: May 18, 2018 in Santa Fe, Texas
> Weapon(s) used: 12 gauge shotgun, .38 pistol (all weapons obtained illegally)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Jeff Swensen / Getty Images
17. Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
> Victims: 11 fatalities, 6 injuries
> Date and place: Oct. 27, 2018 at Tree of Life synagogue
> Weapon(s) used: 3 .357 pistols, semi-automatic rifle (all weapons legally obtained)
Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
16. Virginia Beach, Virginia shooting
> Victims: 12 fatalities, 4 injuries
> Date and place: May 31, 2019 in Virginia Beach, Virginia
> Weapon(s) used: Two .45-caliber pistols (all weapons legally obtained)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Mark Wilson / Getty Images
15. Washington Navy Yard shooting
> Victims: 12 fatalities, 8 injuries
> Date and place: Sept. 16, 2013 at Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters
> Weapon(s) used: 12-gauge shotgun, Beretta pistol (all weapons legally obtained)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Barbara Davidson / Getty Images
14. Thousand Oaks, CA shooting
> Victims: 12 fatalities, 11 injuries
> Date and place: Nov. 7, 2018, at Borderline Bar and Grill
> Weapon(s) used: .45 pistol (all weapons legally obtained)
Source: Win McNamee / Getty Images
13. Atlanta shooting
> Victims: 12 fatalities, 13 injuries
> Date and place: July 27-29, 1999 in Stockbridge and Atlanta, Georgia
> Weapon(s) used: .22 pistol, .25 pistol, .45 pistol, 9mm pistol (all weapons legally obtained)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
12. Aurora, Colorado shooting
> Victims: 12 fatalities, 58 injuries
> Date and place: July 20, 2012 at Century Aurora 16 Multiplex Theater
> Weapon(s) used: 12-gauge shotgun, .223 semi-automatic rifle, .40 pistol (all weapons legally obtained)
Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
11. Binghamton, New York shooting
> Victims: 13 fatalities, 4 injuries
> Date and place: Apr. 3, 2009 at American Civic Association immigration center
> Weapon(s) used: 9mm pistol, .45 pistol (all weapons legally obtained)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images News via Getty Images
10. Columbine shooting
> Victims: 13 fatalities, 24 injuries
> Date and place: Apr. 20, 1999 at Columbine High School
> Weapon(s) used: 2 12-gauge shotguns, 9mm machine gun, 9mm semi-automatic rifle (all weapons obtained illegally)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Ben Sklar / Getty Images
9. Fort Hood shooting
> Victims: 13 fatalities, 30 injuries
> Date and place: Nov. 5, 2009 in Fort Hood
> Weapon(s) used: Five-seven pistol (all weapons legally obtained)
Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images
8. San Bernardino shooting
> Victims: 14 fatalities, 21 injuries
> Date and place: Dec. 2, 2015 at Inland Regional Center
> Weapon(s) used: 2 semi-automatic rifles, 2 9mm pistols (pistols obtained legally, rifles were obtained illegally)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News via Getty Images
7. Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
> Victims: 17 fatalities, 17 injuries
> Date and place: Feb. 14, 2018, in Parkland, FL
> Weapon(s) used: .223 semi-automatic rifle (all weapons legally obtained)
Source: Mario Tama / Getty Images
6. El Paso, Texas shooting
> Victims: 23 fatalities, 23 injuries
> Date and place: August 3, 2019 in an El Paso, Texas Walmart
> Weapon(s) used: Romanian AK-47 (all weapons legally obtained)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Erich Schlegel / Getty Images
5. Sutherland Springs shooting
> Victims: 26 fatalities, 20 injuries
> Date and place: Nov. 5, 2017 at Sutherland First Baptist Church
> Weapon(s) used: Semi-automatic rifle, 9mm pistol, .22 pistol (all weapons obtained illegally)
Source: Mario Tama / Getty Images News via Getty Images
4. Sandy Hook shooting
> Victims: 27 fatalities, 2 injuries
> Date and place: Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut
> Weapon(s) used: .223 semi-automatic rifle, 9mm pistol, 10mm pistol (Weapons obtained legally, but not by the shooter)
Source: Win McNamee / Getty Images
3. Virginia Tech shooting
> Victims: 32 fatalities, 23 injuries
> Date and place: Apr. 16, 2007 in Blacksburg, VA
> Weapon(s) used: 9mm pistol, .22 pistol (all weapons legally obtained)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Gerardo Mora / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2. Pulse Nightclub shooting
> Victims: 49 fatalities, 53 injuries
> Date and place: June 12, 2016 in Orlando, FL
> Weapon(s) used: Semi-automatic rifle, 9mm pistol (all weapons legally obtained)
Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Images News via Getty Images
1. Las Vegas shooting
> Victims: 58 fatalities, 851 injuries
> Date and place: Oct. 1, 2017 at the Route 91 Music Festival
> Weapon(s) used: 22 semi-automatic rifles, .308 Bolt Action rifle, .38 Revolver (all weapons legally obtained)
Methodology
To identify the deadliest mass shootings since Columbine, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the number of fatalities from mass shootings that occurred after April 20, 1999, as recorded by the Congressional Research Service, the FBI, the GVA, and local news sources.Â
Shooters who were killed as a result of suicide or in shootouts with police were not included in the fatality count. Spree shootings that took place in multiple locations with four or fewer people killed in a single location were not considered. Shootings that were a single domestic incident were also not considered.
Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor
Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
