The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released its 2023 active shooter report. The states with the most active shooters were California (8), Texas (4) and Washington (4).
Out of the 48 active shooter incidents in the U.S., 15 of them were mass killings. In total, 244 casualties were reported, with 139 wounded and 105 killed.
Two of the Texas shootings took place in multiple locations. In Lubbock and Slaton, Texas, a 49-year-old man armed with a handgun killed one person and wounded three people in March 2023. He was apprehended by law enforcement in a different location.
In Dallas, a 27-year-old with a handgun began shooting at a residential complex and a nearby abandoned car wash. This shooting took place in September and left one dead and three wounded.
Out of the four shootings, the May 2023 Allen Premium Outlets shooting in Allen, Texas, was labeled as the only mass killing incident in the state last year. In total, eight people were killed and seven were wounded after a 33-year-old gunman opened fire at the outlets. The shooter was killed by law enforcement on the scene.
The FBI report also includes an August shooting at Teapioca Lounge in Austin, Texas. A 38-year-old gunman entered the lounge and killed one person and wounded another. He died by suicide at the scene before law enforcement arrived.
Katherine Schweit, a mass shooting expert, led the FBI’s active shooter initiative after the Sandy Hook shooting. In a recent newsletter, Schweit wrote that the 21% decrease in active shooter incident in two years is a step in the right direction.
“The numbers are still higher than in the past decade, but they are moving in the right direction. I attribute that to stronger threat assessment teams, social awareness about warning signs, and better-prepared police and civilians,” she said.
In June, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis in the United States. Gun violence is the number one killer of children in the U.S. and is more likely to kill them than cancer or a car crash.
