With 3 shootings in 3 days Florida shoots to top of mass shootings list in US for 2024
Three mass shootings in three days have propelled Florida into an unwanted achievement: the Sunshine State has had the most mass shootings in the U.S. in 2024 so far.
On Saturday, April 27, Daytona Beach police say they saw a man "brandish" a handgun and fire multiple rounds. Four people received non-life-threatening injuries, the release stated.
Early Sunday morning, a 16-year-old Daytona Beach boy pulled out a 9mm handgun and opened fire during a fight at a Sanford-area party, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said. Ten people were injured, including Houston Texans wide receiver and Daytona Beach native Tank Dell, who was caught in the crossfire between the boy and another shooter.
And on Monday, a dispute between teens at Norland Senior High School in Miami Gardens erupted into gunfire after parents got involved later on, according to Miami Gardens Police Officer Diana Delgado. Five people, including two teenagers reportedly aged 14 and 19 years old, all suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
That makes 13 mass shootings in Florida so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), the same number the state saw last year over the same period.
As of May 1, there have been 133 mass shootings nationwide, compared to 190 by the same time in 2023.
Florida is currently in the lead for most mass shootings in 2024 to date, according to GVA data. A shooting in Texas that left two dead and four injured Sunday brought the Lone Star State up to second with 11, leaving California and Illinois all tied for third with 10 mass shootings each.
Last year showed an overall 8-10% decrease in deaths and injuries from gun violence compared to 2022, the GVA said, with some cities seeing 20+% decreases. The FBI reported violent crime, robberies and burglary were all down in 2023.
Violent crime down: FBI data shows America is seeing a 'considerable' drop in crime. Trump says the opposite.
How many people have died so far from gun violence in the US in 2024?
According to GVA data, as of May 1:
5,359 people have died, including 76 children and 387 teens.
9,439 people have been injured, including 164 children and 1,005 teens.
129 law enforcement officers have been killed or injured.
Law enforcement officers have killed 472 people and injured 273 in officer-involved incidents, the only category the GVA lists where the fatalities outnumber the injured.
424 people were killed in self-defense.
460 people died from unintentional shootings.
220 people died in murder/suicide incidents.
The GVA has temporarily stopped reported total deaths from suicide "until we can get better data" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
How many mass shootings in 2024 happened in Florida?
There have been 13 mass shootings in Florida this year:
Jan. 20, Plantation: Four people were injured in a shooting in front of a Best Buy. One person later died.
Jan. 20, Palm Bay: A man shot and killed his mother, grandfather and sister and injured his 15-year-old nephew and one other person.
Jan. 28, Palm Bay: A man shot and killed a priest, the priest's sister, and his own grandfather and injured two police officers.
Feb. 28: Orlando: An argument over when a vehicle was to be returned resulted in one person killed and six injured.
March 12, Lawty: Man with knife wound accused of shooting and killing three women.
March 25, Pompano Beach: A 16-year-old boy and three men were shot by multiple suspects who approached them, deputies said.
March 31, St. Petersburg: Men arguing outside a restaurant opened fire, injuring three men in their 20s and a 17-year-old girl, police said.
April 5, Riviera Beach: Four injured in shooting, including a minor.
April 6, Doral: Man in bar disturbance shoots and kills security officer, six people injured in resulting firefight.
April 11, Orlando: Deputies responded to a call and found four men shot. One died later.
April 27, Daytona Beach: A man shot and injured four people during a "physical altercation."
April 28, Sanford: A 16-year-old shot and injured 10 people at a bar, including Houston Texans' WR Tank Dell.
April 29, Miami Gardens: Argument about teen fight leaves five people injured, including two teens.
How many mass shootings happened in Florida in 2023?
Florida mass shootings were down slightly last year, with 30 reported in 2023 compared to 31 each year in both 2022 and 2021 and 35 in 2020. During the year, 134 people were injured and 38 were killed.
By the end of February, Florida was accounting for nearly 12% of all mass shootings in the country.
But a surge around the U.S. — especially in Texas, which also has the most lenient gun laws in the nation — brought Florida's average down to 4.57% of all mass shootings, the eighth most in the country by year's end. Texas was No. 1 with 65.
What is considered a mass shooting?
That depends on who you ask. The GVA (and the Congressional Research Service) defines a mass shooting only on the number of people shot in an incident: four or more, not including the shooter.
The FBI does not define "mass shooting" at all. The agency defines "mass killing" or "mass murder" as an incident in which four or more victims are killed by any intentional means, which may include gun violence.
There also may be a distinction made between private and public mass shootings, and mass shootings committed by foreign terrorists are not included no matter where the shooting occurs or how many people are killed.
The GVA numbers may differ from the FBI or CDC as they collect data from 7,500 law enforcement, government and media sources. The CDC uses death certificates for gun deaths, according to the GVA, and they and the FBI rely on a sampling of courses and then extrapolate the numbers to get estimated totals. Incidents that cannot be verified are not included.
USA TODAY defines a mass shooting as an incident where at least four people are hit with gunfire, even if there are no fatalities. Mass killing refers is an incident in which at least four people are killed.
How have gun laws changed in Florida over the last year?
As of July 1, 2023, it became legal to carry a concealed weapon in Florida without a license for anyone allowed to legally possess a firearm. Concealed licenses are still an option in Florida, but require mandatory background checks and weapon training.
In the 2024 Florida Legislative Session, 10 bills were proposed to either limit firearms sales and increase penalties or loosen firearm restrictions. All of them died in committee except for HB 485, which would have required the county sheriff or local police chief to return to a suspect upon request any weapon confiscated during an arrest. It was ultimately rejected.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida tops list of mass shootings in country this year, data shows
