- Mass killings that occur in public places are a small fraction of all US mass murders.
- Workplace murders by employees are rare, says criminologist James Allan Fox.
- Since 2006, about 3% of all mass murders have occurred in the workplace and were perpetrated by a current or former employee.
Authorities say a store manager opened fire at a Chesapeake, Virginia, Walmart Tuesday night, killing six people and injuring several others. in a series of deadly shootouts across the country.
Officers found the shooter dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The tragedy in the store break room comes days after at least five people were killed and at least 17 others were injured. Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
So far this year, 202 people have died in 40 mass killings across the country. A database of mass murders maintained through a partnership between USA Today, The Associated Press and Northeastern University.
Mass killings that occur in public places are a small fraction of all US mass murders. Those in the workplace are an even smaller part.
Experts such as James Allen Fox, a criminologist and professor at Northeastern University, say workplace homicides are relatively rare. Here’s what to know.
Newest:Walmart manager opens fire in break room in Chesapeake, Virginia, killing six people
How often do mass murders happen in the workplace?
There have been 17 mass murders by a current or former employee in the workplace since 2006, resulting in 106 deaths. database, This is about 3% of the total incidents of mass murder since 2006.
“In terms of workplace homicides, most are not actually committed by employees,” Fox said.
According to Fox, when an employee is the perpetrator of a workplace shooting, the assailant usually feels wronged by the company.
He said, “You cannot kill the company, but you can still harm the company by killing the employees.” “It’s usually anger and animosity toward the job or company.”
In 2020, a brewery worker in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Molson Coors Complex He shot and killed five co-workers before killing himself. this was it 13th mass workplace shooting By current or former employee since 2006, according to the database.
A year ago, in February 2019, a worker at a manufacturing plant Aurora, Illinois, Killed five co-workers. Officers killed the gunman after a 90-minute shootout.
Fox explained that many workplace firearms-related homicides that are not classified as mass shootings are linked to robberies, and some involve disgruntled customers or clients. over the past decade, The number of workplace homicides involving firearms has fluctuated between 350 and 400 according to data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, In 2018, 351 people were killed in homicides related to firearms in the workplace.
What defines mass murder?
A mass murder is generally defined as an incident in which four or more people are killedNot including criminals.
Mass killings that occur in public places such as schools, markets or places of worship make up a small fraction of all US mass murders. Of the 40 mass murders this year, SevenThere were shootings in public places, including the Chesapeake tragedy. Most are in private homes. Over the past 16 years, nearly 70% of mass murders occurred in a residence or other shelter.
Since 2006, 2,742 people have been killed in 526 mass murders in all types of locations, and most were shootings, According to USA Today, AP and Northeast databases, 361 of those victims died in 52 mass murders. In public places such as commercial, retail and entertainment settings,
one 2016 analysis published in a criminology journal found over a four-year period, a failed or disconnected connection The most common reason behind mass murder was.
Overall, approximately 45,000 people die from firearm-related injuries each year. According to 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More:Experts say gun violence is a public health epidemic. It needs to be treated like one.
More:Suspect in Colorado Springs nightclub massacre faces 5 counts of murder, hate crime: Update
Contributing: John Bacon, Thao Nguyen and Michelle Thorson, USA TODAY; The Associated Press.
