The 5 Worst Mass Shootings of the Past Decade
The incidence of random, mass shootings in the U.S. is a subject under much speculation, especially when so many seem to have occurred in just the last few years. The last decade has seen plenty of violence on this scale and the recent Newtown shooting is close to the top of the list. What most of these shootings have in common is that they are perpetrated by men, they occur in public places, and most often the shooter commits suicide.
Blacksburg, Virginia, April 16, 2007
The shooting by 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho, a student at Virginia Tech ranks as the deadliest mass shooting perpetrated by a single gunman in U.S. history, not just of the last decade. He killed 32 people and injured 17 on the Blacksburg, Virginia campus in two separate incidents before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide. Most of the casualties occurred inside of classroom buildings and a handful of students were injured a while escaping through windows. Cho had a history of mental illness and had been accused of stalking other students before the incident.
Newtown, Connecticut, December 14, 2012
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown is the second deadliest of the last ten years, and for many, the most disturbing. Adam Lanza, 20 years old, entered the kindergarten through fourth grade school building with an assault rifle and two handguns and killed 26 people, including 20 young children. Lanza took the guns from his mother’s house and killed her before shooting others at the school. Before he could be apprehended, Lanza committed suicide.
Binghamton, New York, April 3, 2009
The third deadliest shooting of the last decade occurred in Binghamton, New York at the American Civic Association immigration center. Jiverly Wong, a 41-year-old naturalized citizen, originally from Vietnam, shot and killed 13 people and injured four others before killing himself. He had taken English language classes at the center and the victims were his fellow students and one former teacher. Wong had registered guns and a history of struggling to find work and to keep jobs.
Fort Hood, Texas, November 5, 2009
Nidal Malik Hasan, 39 and a major in the U.S. Army opened fire and killed 13 people on November 5, 2009 at Fort Hood in a shooting that was as deadly as the incident in Binghamton. He also injured 32 people at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center. Hasan worked as a psychologist in the Army and, unlike, most mass shooters, did not commit suicide. He was apprehended and charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder as well as 32 counts of attempted murder.
Aurora, Colorado, July 20, 2012
James Holmes, 24-year-old graduate student at the University of Colorado, opened fire on the audience at a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” at a theater in Aurora. Before shooting, he threw a gas canister into the theater. He was dressed in body armor, a helmet, and a gas mask and killed 12 people while injuring multiple others. Holmes has been charged with 24 counts of first degree murder and 116 counts of attempted murder.
Mary Ellen Ellis is a career writer for Paralegal411, a career resource for individuals interesting in starting a career in the paralegal field including school information and a paralegal job board.
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