The latest mass killing in the United States took place on Saturday night, when three children, ages 8, 9 and 14, and a 21-year-old adult were killed in a shooting at a child’s birthday party in California. Eleven people were also injured at a banquet hall in Stockton.
This is the 17th mass killing in the country this year. Crimes are tracked in a database maintained by the Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At least 81 people have died this year in U.S. mass killings, which are defined as cases in which four or more people die in a 24-hour period, not including the killer — the same definition used by the FBI.
So far this year, 14 out of 17 recorded mass murders (82%) have involved a firearm. Shooting victims represent 81% of the 3,234 victims of mass murders in 2006.
Last year ended with at least 165 deaths from at least 38 mass murders.
Here’s a look at other mass murders in the US this year:
SANTA HELENA ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, Oct. 12
Four people were killed and 15 others were injured in a shooting during a high school reunion party at a bar on the island of St. Helena. A man accused of shooting and another man, who was killed, had a disagreement and started shooting at each other, authorities said. Investigators have found evidence of a third shooter and said they expect more arrests.
LELAND, MISSISSIPPI, Oct. 10
A shooting after a high school football game in a small town in the Mississippi Delta left seven people dead. Authorities have not released a possible motive for the Leland shooting, but the FBI says it may have been “sparked by a disagreement between multiple individuals.” At least nine people have been arrested, several of whom have been charged with murder.
GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN, Sept. 28
A man opened fire in a Michigan church and set it on fire, leaving four people dead and the church burned to the ground. The FBI said the gunman, who was killed by responding law enforcement, was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. MERLIN, OREGON, Aug. 11
Police say two adults and three children have died in a murder-suicide in southern Oregon. The children were 11, 9 and 7 years old. Police found the bodies in a home near Grants Pass after one of the victims failed to show up for work.
ANACONDA, MONTANA, Aug. 1
Four people were fatally shot at a bar in a small town about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Missoula. The man accused of the crimes evaded capture for a week.
TIPTONVILLE, TENNESSEE, July 29
The parents, grandmother and uncle of a child found abandoned in their front yard were shot in a wooded area about 40 miles (65 kilometers) away. The man accused of the crimes was the boyfriend of the child’s grandmother’s sister, authorities said.
NEW YORK CITY, July 28
A gun-wielding man killed four people in a midtown Manhattan building that houses financial companies and the NFL headquarters. An off-duty New York City police officer was among the victims. The gunman injured a fifth person before taking his own life.
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA, July 5th
Three men and a woman were fatally shot in an apartment. The bodies were discovered when police followed up on a call about a missing woman. A friend of one of the victims was arrested.
CHICAGO, July 2
Two men and two women were killed and 14 others were wounded in a shooting as people were leaving an album release party. Police said the driver immediately ran away, and no one was in custody.
CHICAGO, June 26
Police said a man angry at a friend and his ex-girlfriend set fire to a building that killed four other people. The fire was started with gasoline and a lighter.
MINNEAPOLIS, April 29
Four people were shot inside a vehicle and died in the Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis. A suspect was arrested and charged a few days later.
PERRY, GEORGIA, April 4
Three adults, ages 82, 51 and 37, and a 2-year-old child were found dead in a mobile home in Perry, a rural town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Macon. Authorities said three of the victims were stabbed and one of them was strangled. A man was arrested in May and charged with the crimes, officials said.
HALLANDALE BEACH, FLORIDA: March 26
A man fatally shot his estranged girlfriend and three of her children before turning the gun on himself at a South Florida residence, according to local reports. The man, the father of two of the children, later died in hospital. A fourth child was shot but survived.
LAKE STATION, INDIANA, Feb. 21
The deaths of a mother and her three daughters, ages 4, 6 and 7, found shot to death in a home in Lake Station, about 34 miles (55 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, have been ruled homicides, according to local reports. The woman’s husband was also found shot to death and his death ruled a suicide.
BYRON, WYOMING, February 10
A woman fatally shot her four daughters, ages 2 to 9, before shooting herself, officials said. Officials said three of the girls died that day, and a fourth daughter and their mother died later, according to local reports.
NEW ORLEANS, January 1st
A driver plowed into a crowd of revelers in New Orleans’ French Quarter neighborhood at 3:15 a.m. on New Year’s Day, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens, authorities said. The driver, a US citizen from Texas, died in a shootout with police. The FBI called the attack an act of terrorism.