The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced last week that 61 active shooter incidents were reported last year, representing a 52.5 percent increase from 2020 reports.
Those numbers also led to 103 deaths and 140 injuries, not including the shooters. This gave 2021 a dubious distinction as one of the deadliest in recent years.
It was the culmination of an upward trend that has gone on since at least 2017. All told, 2021 saw 96.8 percent more such incidents of violence than in 2017. The number impacted by those incidents continues to rise as well. Last year’s 243 casualties were 48 percent higher than the 164 reported in 2020, making it the third-highest casualty count in the past five years. Deaths were also the highest since 2017, representing what the FBI calls an above-average record for the period. The factored average was about 92 deaths per year.
Active shooters, as referenced here, refer to one or more people actively killing or attempting to kill people in populated areas using firearms. Each of the 61 incidents charted in 2021 was carried out by different shooters, with nearly all – 60 in total – being men. Their ages ranged from 12 to 67 years old, and most (30) were apprehended by law enforcement after their attacks. Another 14 were killed by law enforcement, while four were killed by armed citizens. Of the remainder, 11 shooters committed suicide, another died in a crash, and one shooter remains at large.
Discussing trends, the FBI stated that active shooters last year displayed a greater propensity to roam – attacking multiple locations, whether over a day or several days. However, the report did not include information regarding the motives or identities of the shooters.