Five mass shootings in the US in 2022

Dozens of people were injured on Tuesday when a gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire inside a train car in the New York subway. No one was killed and the suspect, whose motives are unknown, remains at large. Police later identified Frank James, 62, as a ‘person of interest’ in relation to the incident.

Tuesday’s shooting in the Brooklyn subway is only the latest in a string of incidents that have blighted the United States, reigniting debates about gun violence in the country and the need for tighter gun control. 

While mass shootings tend to get more media attention, mass shootings constitute a fraction of overall gun-related deaths in the US. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) an average of more than 120 people a day died of gun injuries in the US in 2020, the year for which the most complete data is available. Gun murders account for 43 percent of those deaths and have peaked in recent years – 2020 saw the highest number since at least 1968.

Victims of mass shootings are difficult to isolate from those statistics because there is no agreed upon definition of what constitutes a mass shooting – with different interpretations according to the minimum threshold for the number of victims, whether the shooting took place in connection with another crime, and the relationship between the shooter and the victims, among others. Perpetrators are likely to be men.

Using the FBI’s definition, 38 people died in such incidents in 2020, while the Gun Violence Archive counts 513 victims in the same year. But those incidents greatly impact public debate and the public’s perception of gun violence and personal safety.

While there were no deaths following Tuesday’s subway shootings, some experts argue it is part of a trend of mass shootings and increasing gun violence in the US.

According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as incidents where four or more people are shot, not including the shooter, 131 mass shootings took place in the first three months of 2022 alone in the US. We look at the deadliest incidents since the start of the year.

Nightclub shooting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, April 10

2 killed, 10 injured

A shooting inside a crowded nightclub left two people dead in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Investigators believe one of the victims was targeted and arrested a man, Timothy Ladell Rush, 32. He faces second-degree murder and other charges.

Shooting in downtown Sacramento, California, April 3

6 killed, 12 injured

The shooting in downtown Sacramento that took place at around 2am local time on Sunday is the deadliest in the city’s history.

Footage from the incidents shows what appears to be a fight among a large crowd of people. Two brothers were arrested in connection to the incidents, one of whom had been serving a 10-year prison sentence for domestic violence. The victims were between 21 and 57 years old.

Dallas concert shooting, Texas, April 3

1 killed, 11 injured

12 people were shot at an outdoor concert in Dallas, including at least three juveniles and a 26-year-old who was fatally injured. The shooting came two weeks after ten people were shot and injured in a drive-by shooting. 

Drive-by shooting, Dallas, Texas March 19

10 injured

Ten people were shot and injured in a drive-by shooting at a spring break party in south Dallas. Others were injured while attempting to escape.

Sacramento shooting, California, February 28

4 killed

Three minors and an adult who was accompanying them were killed in a shooting at a church in Sacramento, California. The gunman was the children’s father, who had a restraining order against him. The man was believed to have a scheduled supervised visit with his three daughters. The shooting took place just after 5pm.