On Wednesday, as college students proceed to return to varsities this week after the summer time break, a person armed with three weapons fired dozens of rounds into a college mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, killing two kids and injuring 17 others.
The capturing ended when the suspect, 23-year-old Robin Westman, “took his personal life” on the rear of the church, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara mentioned, and authorities are nonetheless investigating the motive.
College shootings have change into a grim actuality, occurring far too typically in the USA, but efforts to impose stricter gun possession legal guidelines proceed to face sturdy opposition from conservative teams and politicians.
Counting these incidents will not be at all times easy, and totals can differ relying on how shootings are outlined, whether or not accidents or deaths occurred, and which database is used. Al Jazeera breaks all of it down for you.
College shootings: Why the numbers fluctuate
Like mass shootings, faculty shootings are tracked by a number of databases that use completely different standards. Some apply broad definitions, whereas others embrace solely essentially the most extreme incidents.
Broadest definition – 146 incidents
The Okay-12 College Capturing Database has the broadest definition.
It data each incident on Okay-12 faculty property the place a gun was fired, brandished with intent, or a bullet struck faculty property, no matter whether or not anybody was injured or killed. This contains gang shootings, incidents of home violence, shootings at sports activities video games or after-school occasions, suicides, fights that escalate into gunfire, and unintentional discharges.
In response to this definition, there have been 146 incidents of gun violence this yr.
Average definition – 91 incidents
One other source, Everytown for Gun Security, makes use of knowledge from the Okay-12 College Capturing Database to map and analyse firearm discharge incidents on faculty grounds.
Everytown tracks gun incidents that resulted in an individual being killed or wounded, in addition to these wherein a gun was discharged and nobody was shot. Incidents wherein weapons have been introduced into colleges however not discharged should not included.
In response to this definition, there have been 91 incidents of gunfire on faculty grounds this yr.
Strictest definition – 8 incidents
A 3rd database, Training Week, employs the strictest definition.
It counts solely shootings inflicting accidents or deaths on faculty property or buses throughout faculty hours or occasions.
In response to this definition, there have been eight faculty shootings this yr that resulted in casualties.
College shootings highest within the US
No matter which measurement is used, the US overwhelmingly has the very best variety of faculty shootings on the planet.
Different nations do expertise faculty shootings, however these happen not often. One such incident from this yr was at a college in Graz, Austria, on June 10, when a former scholar opened hearth, killing 10 folks and injuring 11 others. This incident was the worst faculty capturing in Austria’s historical past.
College shootings with casualties in 2025
Wednesday’s capturing is the deadliest faculty capturing this yr and the one incident with the very best variety of victims for the reason that Robb Elementary College capturing in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, wherein a person fatally shot 19 college students and two academics, and injured 17 others.
In response to Training Week, there have been 229 faculty shootings with accidents or deaths since 2018, together with 24 every in 2018 and 2019, 10 in 2020, 35 in 2021, 51 in 2022, 38 in 2023, and 39 in 2024.
