Mass killings in the United States, 2020.
Four or more dead (Suicides Indicated by an asterisk)
By a single killer (The killer is charged, or would have been charged had he lived.)
By any criminal means
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In #1 a fellow stole car. While eluding the police at high speed he killed four people.
I am willing to be corrected at to #2. The reporting has been very spotty for reasons I a do not understand.
I was going to say that #2 certainly seemed like a homicide if four people are dead and one person is in custody, but I see Abe has already confirmed.
As for #1, we’ll never know if the Nissan driver was attempting to kill everyone in his car, since they’re all dead. It’s possible he thought he could somehow dodge cars coming right at him and…what? Cross the meridian to face the cops again? Cross multiple lanes of oncoming traffic to use an on-ramp as an off-ramp (and somehow avoid hitting oncoming cars on the ramp)?
If it was negligent homicide, does that count as a mass murder?
Four or more dead (Suicides Indicated by an asterisk)
By a single killer (The killer is charged, or would have been charged had he lived.)
In a single emotional event
By any criminal means
Yes, and to be candid, these statistics are always used to justify stricter gun laws. When people hear of “mass killings” they think of indiscriminate intentional killings like Columbine or Las Vegas. I don’t think the public is really as horrified if there is a gang fight and 5 gang members die, whether by knives or guns. And even though people would be troubled by a criminal fleeing a robbery and running over 4 people, this is simply not in that category that people typically think of as “mass killings.”
I’m not accusing the OP of it, but there are more than a few people who would like to use this particular statistic so that the public gets confused and more likely to support gun control efforts.
I think you are counting this way too early. There is no sign of intoxication for the at fault driver. This will most likely be deemed a tragic accident caused by an elderly driver and not a vehicular homicide.
I am willing to retract this if need be. I admit a rush to publish. At the moment, I am applying the rule that the killer is charged or would have been charged had he lived.