At least two children killed in Minnesota Catholic school shooting. Northeastern expert on mass killings explains trend
“With two victim fatalities and many more injured, this is, of course, a tragic day in Minneapolis,” says James Alan Fox, a Northeastern University criminologist and worldwide expert on mass shootings.
At least two children were killed and 17 others injured when a gunman opened fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis — shooting through the windows of a church at the school before taking his own life, according to authorities.
“With two victim fatalities and many more injured, this is, of course, a tragic day in Minneapolis,” says James Alan Fox, a Northeastern University criminologist and worldwide expert on mass shootings.
“Notwithstanding this awful development, mass shootings are down substantially this year over last and last year over 2023,” he adds.
The shooting took place during the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School, which teaches students from preschool through eighth grade in southern Minneapolis.
Police said the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials believe he was in his early 20s, had a limited criminal record and acted alone.
Parental concern about children’s safety at school has reached a two-decade high, with 44% expressing concern following the Uvalde, Texas, tragedy on May 24, 2022, according to a recent Gallup poll.
In Uvalde, 19 children and two adults were killed when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire on whole classrooms in a Texas elementary school.
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Fox notes that while the number of reported school shootings has increased, many incidents involve no injuries and occur outside school hours, leading to inflated statistics.
“The statistics on school shootings are easily misunderstood,” Fox says. “Over 90% of shootings on school property — which are often characterized as school shootings — occur outside the school on school property and not necessarily during school hours or impacting students.”
On average, he says, about a half-dozen K-12 students are fatally shot annually while in school, according to data since 2010.
The number of mass killings by gunfire involving four or more fatalities has decreased from 20 last year to nine so far this year, marking a 55% decline, according to the Associated Press/USA Today/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database.
Mass shootings resulting in four or more people injured or killed have also dropped, falling from 369 last year to 286 this year — a 24% decrease — based on data from the Gun Violence Archive.
“I’m praying for our kids and teachers, whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said about the incident.
