LOCALIZE IT: Database tracks mass killings over past decade

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

Horrific shootings in schools and public spaces such as movie theaters, grocery stores and shopping malls attract vast attention, and most Americans believe this seemingly indiscriminate violence poses the greatest threat when it comes to mass carnage.

An analysis by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, however, shows these types of crimes, while terrifying, actually represent a small fraction of the mass killings in the U.S.

The collaboration involved tracking all mass killings in the country over the past decade and compiling the results into a database, which is available for your reporting use: https://data.world/associatedpress/mass-killings-public.

The database allows you to explore national trends and search for details on mass killings in your area. A few of its findings:

— Victims of mass homicides are far more likely to be killed by a family member or acquaintance than by a stranger.

— Private gun violence makes up a far greater percentage of mass murders in the U.S.

— Despite high-profile mass killings in recent years, including in 2022, the incidence of such shootings remains flat over time.

Here are some things to know about the data and ways to use it:

BACKGROUND

This project includes all types of intentional killings — from stabbings to shootings to strangulation to blunt force trauma — where four or more people, excluding the assailant, died in a 24-hour period.

It includes every mass killing since 2006, but unlike the Gun Violence Archive it does not include non-fatal shootings. The database also does not include homicides caused by driving under the influence or accidental fires due to lack of intent.

Every mass killing included in the database was independently corroborated by multiple sources, including FBI crime data, news stories, court records, interviews and other materials.

James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern University in Boston, oversees the database and continues to add information drawn from media reports, FBI data, arrest records, medical examiners’ reports, prison records and other court documents.

SEARCH THE DATA

There are 59 data fields included in the research, including the number of victims involved in each mass killing, when the attacks occurred and the type of locations where they happened, like a home or school.

These interactives allow you to explore the data from your cities and states:

— Search mass killing incidents

Embed it on your site:

<iframe src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/storytelling-embed/master/mass-killings-front-end/incident_lookup.html" scrolling="no" style="width: 100%; margin:0; padding:0;" resizable="" width="100%" height="870" frameborder="no"></iframe>

<script src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/usatoday/responsive/iframe-resizer/parent-resizer.js"></script>

— Mass killings by location scaled by number of victims

Embed it on your site:

<iframe src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/storytelling-embed/master/mass-killings-front-end/incident_map.html" scrolling="no" style="width: 100%; margin:0; padding:0;" resizable="" width="100%" height="925" frameborder="no"></iframe>

<script src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/usatoday/responsive/iframe-resizer/parent-resizer.js"></script>

MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT

Read more about the overall findings, along with the research, data and methods used here: Mass killings database reveals trends, details and anguish in every US event since 2006

ADDITIONAL GRAPHICS

Timeline of mass killings scaled by number of victims killed

Embed code:

<iframe src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/storytelling-embed/master/mass-killings-front-end/timeline.html" scrolling="no" style="width: 100%; margin:0; padding:0;" resizable="" width="100%" height="1050" frameborder="no"></iframe>

<script src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/usatoday/responsive/iframe-resizer/parent-resizer.js"></script>

Number of mass killings and victims killed this year compared with previous years

Embed code:

<iframe src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/storytelling-embed/master/mass-killings-front-end/incident_year_lines.html" scrolling="no" style="width: 100%; margin:0; padding:0;" resizable="" width="100%" height="730" frameborder="no"></iframe>

<script src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/usatoday/responsive/iframe-resizer/parent-resizer.js"></script>

Number of mass killings by year

Embed code:

<iframe src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/storytelling-embed/master/mass-killings-front-end/incident_trends.html" scrolling="no" style="width: 100%; margin:0; padding:0;" resizable="" width="100%" height="453" frameborder="no"></iframe>

<script src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/experiments/usatoday/responsive/iframe-resizer/parent-resizer.js"></script>

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Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.