- Mass murders that occur in public places make up a small fraction of all mass murders in the United States.
- Criminologist James Allan Fox says workplace murders of employees are rare.
- Since 2006, about 3% of all mass murders have occurred in the workplace and were committed by current or former employees.
Six people were killed and several others were injured after authorities said a store manager opened fire at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Tuesday night. in a series of fatal shots throughout the country.
Law enforcement found the shooter dead, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The tragedy, which took place in the store’s rest room, comes days after at least five people were killed and at least 17 injured. Shooting at the Q Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
This year, 202 people died in 40 mass murders across the country, according to reports The Mass Homicide Database is maintained through a partnership between USA TODAY, the Associated Press and Northeastern University.
Mass murders that occur in public places make up a small fraction of all mass murders in the United States. An even smaller part of those that occur in the workplace.
And workplace murders by employees are relatively rare, say experts like James Allan Fox, a criminologist and professor at Northeastern University. Here’s what you need to know.
THE LAST:A Walmart manager opened fire in a break room, killing 6 people in Chesapeake, Virginia
How common are mass murders in the workplace?
Since 2006, there have been 17 workplace mass murders by current or former employees, resulting in 106 deaths. database. This is about 3% of the total number of mass murders since 2006.
“When it comes to workplace homicides, most of them are committed by non-employees,” Fox said.
According to Fox, when an employee is guilty of a workplace shooting, the assailant usually feels wronged by the company.
“You can’t kill a company, but you can still hurt a company by killing its employees,” he said. “It’s usually anger and hostility toward the job or the company.”
In 2020 brewery worker in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Molson Coors Campus shot and killed five colleagues before killing himself. It was On the 13th, a mass shooting at the workplace current or former employees since 2006, according to the database.
A year earlier, in February 2019, an employee of a production enterprise in Aurora, Illinois, killed five social workers. Officers killed the gunman after a 90-minute firefight.
Many workplace gun homicides that are not classified as mass shootings involve robberies, and some involve disgruntled customers or clients, Fox explained. Over the past decade, the number of workplace homicides involving firearms has fluctuated between 350 and 400, according to c Bureau of Labor Statistics Fatal Occupational Injury Census. In 2018, 351 people were killed by firearms in the workplace.
What defines mass murder?
A mass killing is usually defined as an incident in which four or more people are killedexcept the criminal.
Mass killings that occur in public places, such as schools, markets, or places of worship, account for a small fraction of all mass killings in the United States. Of the 40 mass murders this year, seven, including the Chesapeake tragedy, were shootings that took place in public places. Most are found in private homes. Over the past 16 years, about 70% of mass murders have occurred in a residence or other shelter.
Since 2006, 2,742 people have died in 526 mass killings that have occurred in all types of locations, most of them by shootings. according to USA TODAY, AP and Northeastern database. Of these, 361 victims died in 52 massacres that unfolded in public places such as commercial, shopping and entertainment establishments.
One 2016 analysis published in a criminology journal found within four years, a failed or estranged relationships was the most common cause of mass murder.
In total, approximately 45,000 people die each year from firearm injuries. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2020.
more:Experts say gun violence is a public health epidemic. He should be treated as one.
more:Suspect charged with 5 counts of murder, hate crime in Colorado Springs nightclub: Updates
Contributing: John Bacon, Thao Nguyen and Mitchell Thorson, USA TODAY; Associated Press.
