The United States experienced 61 “active shooter incidents” in 2021, according to a newly-released report from the FBI, which said this amounts to “more than a 50% increase” over the number of incidents in 2020.
The report, according to an FBI news release, says 103 people were killed and another 140 were wounded in these incidents.
“For the period 2017–2021,” the FBI said, “active shooter incident data reveals an upward trend. The number of active shooter incidents identified in 2021 represents a 52.5% increase from 2020 and a 96.8% increase from 2017. “
According to WIS News in Columbia, S.C., the “emerging trend” shows an increase in the number of “roving shooters.”
The FBI noted, “Casualty counts are higher for 2021 (243) when compared with 2020 (164), indicating a 48% increase. The casualties in 2021 represents the third highest total casualty count over the last five years (2017–2021). 2021 saw the highest number of deaths (103) since 2017, a 171.1% increase from 2020 and above the average (92.3) for the period 2017–2020. There was an 11.1% increase in people wounded (140) in 2021 compared with 2020 (126), but below the average (253) for the period 2017–2020.”
The FBI release said the agency defines an active shooter as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” In 2021, there were 61 shooters who carried out the 61 reported active shooter incidents. Of those, 30 were apprehended, 14 were killed by law enforcement, four were killed by armed citizens, one died in a vehicle accident during a law enforcement pursuit and 11 committed suicide. One killer remains at large, the FBI said.
Implicit in the FBI ‘s definition is the shooter’s use of a firearm.
“The active aspect of the definition inherently implies the ongoing nature of an incident, and thus the potential for the response to affect the outcome, whereas a mass killing is defined as three or more killings in a single incident.,” the FBI said.
