By Linda Krotki
In my March 14 article published in Classic City News, I spoke against divisive language and people making statements not based on truth and facts. My statements were challenged by a reader, and that challenge deserves a thoughtful response accompanied by data.
There is no factual evidence to confirm that the ONLY Americans who commit “mass” shootings are young white males or middle-aged white males. To make a statement like that is false and divisive. After researching this topic, I will share some of the information I discovered.
Killings are generally referred to as mass killings when four or more people are killed, not including the killer. According to USA today, the U.S. has had 585 mass killings that have taken place since 2006 (taking the lives of 3,041 individuals), and 404 of those have taken place in homes or other shelters. This indicates that most mass killings are done by someone familiar to the victims. The remaining 181killings are considered public killings, and these are much more sensationalized, even though they result in fewer deaths than do the domestic mass shootings.
People of varied races and ethnicities are responsible for mass killings and to state otherwise is to divide us. Firearms are involved in many of these cases, but 20% are committed by fire, knives, sharp objects, blunt objects, strangulation, explosives, vehicles, and other means.
According to USA Today, using a database of mass killers updated as of March 16, 2024, the white vs. non- white involvement in mass killings from 2006 to March 2024 is as follows: The VICTIMS by race are: white – 1.293, black – 652, Hispanic/Latino – 482, Unknown – 362, Asian/Pacific Islander – 194, American Indian – 30, and Other – 28.
OFFENDERS by race: white – 274, black – 239, Hispanic/Latino – 98, Unknown – 40, Asian/Pacific Islander – 40, American Indian – 13, and Other – 2.
It was additionally noted that of the 181 public incidents, 59 have taken place at commercial/entertainment spaces. 40 mass killings have taken place in open spaces, 34 in multiple places, 16 in vehicles, 13 in schools and colleges, 10 in government or transit areas, 7 in houses of worship, and 2 in a medical facility.
A sampling of the shooters responsible for the public killings are:
1) 2/12/2007 – Sulejman Talovic – 19 – Salt Lake City, UT – killed 5, injured 4 – Bosnian refugee
2) 4/16/2007 – Seung-Hui Cho – 23 – Blacksburg, VA – killed 32, injured 17 – South Korean
3) 11/5/2009 – Nidal Malik Hasan – Ft. Hood, Killeen, TX – killed 13, injured 32 – Palestinian-American
4) 10/1/2017 – Stephen Paddock – 64 – Las Vegas – killed 60, injured 867 – American white male
5) 1/21/23 – Huu Can Tran – 72 – Monterey Park, CA – killed 11, injured 9 – Vietnamese who
immigrated to the US from China
6) 1/23/23 – Chunli Zhao- 67 – Half Moon Bay, CA – killed 7, injured 1 – Asian-American
7) 3/27/23 – Audrey Hale – 28 – Nashville, TN – killed 6 – American white female
Regarding mass shooters and mass killers in the United States their race and ethnicity basically corresponds to the demographics of this country. They are white, brown, and black. They are citizens, immigrants, and refugees. They are mostly males. They are often angry and seeking revenge. They might be disgruntled or feel wronged. They are often reclusive or have a paranoid personality. Race has nothing to do with being a mass shooter as some would have us believe.
Divisive statements that are unsubstantiated are harmful. If you read something divisive, please don’t accept it as truth. Do your own research to discover the truth. While some actively seek to divide us, through truth, we the citizens of America, can find unity, if we truly want to find it.