On Sunday, two mass shootings occurred within a few hours in the US states of Texas and Washington. This means that the number of mass shootings during the year amounts to 38, according to figures from the news agency AP database.
It is the highest number measured since the database was established in 2006. The previous record was from 2022 when 36 mass shootings occurred in the United States.
A mass shooting is defined by at least four people being killed, according to the AP database. Then the perpetrator is not counted.
Deadliest attack this year
At least 203 people have been killed in mass shootings this year. The deadliest attack of 2023 occurred in Lewiston, Maine on October 20 when 18 people were killed and 13 injured.
The alarm initially came from a bowling alley where a man allegedly went out into the street and started shooting around. He then made his way to another part of the city where he entered and shot at, among other things, a bar. Just over a week later, the perpetrator was found dead.
During the long weekend around America’s Fourth of July national day, 16 shootings occurred around the United States where 15 people were killed and over 100 were injured.