History of School Shootings in the United States: 1960-2000s
History of School Shootings in the United States: 1960-2000s
1960s
On February 2, 1960 in Hartford City, Indiana at William Reed Elementary School Principal Leonard Redden shot and killed two teachers with a shotgun before fleeing into a remote forest, where he committed suicide.
On June 7, 1960 in Blaine, Minnesota a 40-year-old mailman named Lester Betts walked into the office of 33-year-old principal Carson Hammond and shot him to death with a 12-gauge shotgun.
On April 20, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois teacher Josephine Keane, 45, was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death inside a storeroom at Lewis-Champlin elementary school in Chicago. Lee Arthur Hester, a 14-year-old student, was later convicted of the murder and sentenced to 55 years in prison.
On May 1, 2019, 72-year-old Lee Arthur Hester was exonerated of the 1961 murder of a Chicago elementary school teacher. The dismissal of the charges came nearly 58 years after he was convicted based on faulty forensics and a false confession coerced by Chicago police.
The exoneration was the result of several years of investigation by the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law and a review by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit.
On January 10, 2020, Hester, who was released from prison on parole in 1972, was granted a certificate of innocence in Cook County Circuit Court, paving the way for him to seek compensation from the state of Illinois.
On October 17, 1961 in Denver, Colorado a 14 year old named Tennyson Beard got into an argument with one William Hachmeister, age 15, at Morey Junior High School. During the argument Beard pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and shot at Hachmeister, wounding him. A stray bullet also struck Deborah Faith Humphrey, 14, who died.
On August 1, 1966 at the University of Texas Charles Whitman climbs atop the observation deck of the clock tower at the University of Texas-Austin, killing 16 people and wounding 31 during a 96-minute shooting rampage that came to be known as the University of Texas Massacre.
On November 12, 1966 in Mesa, Arizona an 18 year old Bob Smith took seven people hostage at Rose-Mar College of Beauty, a school for training beauticians. Smith ordered the hostages to lie down on the floor in a circle. He then proceeded to shoot them in the head with a 22-caliber pistol. Four women and a three-year-old girl died, one woman and a baby were injured but survived. Police arrested Smith after the massacre. Smith had reportedly admired Richard Speck and Charles Whitman.
On January 30, 1968 in Miami, Florida a 16-year-old named Blanche Ward shot and killed fellow student Linda Lipscomb, also 16, with a .22-caliber pistol at Miami Jackson High School. According to Ward, she was threatened with a razor by Lipscomb during an argument over a fountain pen, and in the ensuing struggle the gun went off.
On February 8, 1968 in Orangeburg, South Carolina about 200 mostly student protesters gathered on the campus of South Carolina State University, located in the city of Orangeburg, to protest the segregation of the All Star Bowling Lane. The bowling alley was owned by the late Harry K. Floyd. That night, students started a bonfire. As police attempted to put out the fire, an officer was injured by a thrown piece of banister. The police said they believed they were under attack by small weapons fire. The officers fired into the crowd, killing three young men: Samuel Hammond, Delano Middleton, and Henry Smith, and wounding twenty-seven others.
On May 22, 1968 in Miami, Florida a man named Ernest Lee Grissom, a 15-year-old student at Drew Junior High School, shot and seriously wounded a teacher and a 13-year-old student after he had been reprimanded for causing a disturbance at school.
On January 17, 1969 in Los Angeles, California two student members of the Black Panther Party, Alprentice Carter and John Huggins, were fatally shot during a student meeting inside Campbell Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles. The motive of the shooting regarded who would own the school's African American Studies Center. The shooter, Claude Hubert, was never to be found but three other men were arrested in connection with the shooting.
On November 19, 1969 in Tomah, Wisconsin the principal was shot to death in his office by a 14-year-old boy armed with a 20 gauge shotgun.
1970s
The two most notable U.S. school shootings in the early 1970s were the Kent State shootings in May 1970 where the National Guard opened fire on the campus of Kent State University
and the Jackson State killings in May 1970, where police opened fire on the campus of Jackson State University:
The mid to late 1970s is the second most violent period in U.S. school history with a series of school shootings.
On December 30, 1974 in Olean, New York, Anthony Barbaro, a 17-year-old Regents scholar armed with a rifle and shotgun, killed three adults and wounded 11 others at his high school, which was closed for the Christmas holiday. Barbaro was reportedly a loner who kept a diary describing several "battle plans" for his attack on the school.
On June 12, 1976 at the California State University in Fullerton the school's custodian opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle in the library on the California State University, Fullerton campus killing 7, and wounding 2.
On February 22, 1978 in Lansing, Michigan a 15-year-old self-proclaimed Nazi, kills one student and wounds a second with a Luger pistol after being taunted for his beliefs
On January 29, 1979 at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in California a 16 year old girl opened fire with the rifle, a gift from her father, killing 2 and wounding 9.
1980s
The early 1980s saw very few multi-victim school shootings;
On January 20, 1983 in St. Louis County, Missouri at the Parkway South Middle School, an eighth grader brought a blue duffel bag containing two pistols, and a murder/suicide note that outlined his intention to kill the next person heard speaking ill of his older brother Ken. He entered a study hall classroom and opened fire, hitting two fellow students. The first victim was fatally shot in the stomach and the second victim received a non-fatal gunshot wound to the abdomen. The boy is then reported to have said, "no one will ever call my brother a pussy again" and committed suicide.
According to the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, in the United States, from September 1986 to September 1990 (four year period):
At least 71 people (65 students and 6 school employees) had been killed with guns at school.
201 were severely wounded by gun fire.
242 individuals were held hostage at gunpoint.
According to a 1987 survey conducted by the American School Health Association:
3% of the boys reported having carried a handgun to school at least once during the school year
1% reported carrying a handgun on a daily basis.
The mid to late 1980s began to see a major increase in school shootings including;
On September 4, 1985 in Richmond, Virginia at the end of the second day of school at the East End Middle School a 12 year old boy shot a girl with his mother's gun.
On October 18, 1985 in Detroit, Michigan during halftime of the homecoming football game between Northwestern High School and Murray-Wright High School a boy who was in a fight earlier that day pulled out a shotgun and opened fire injuring six students.
On November 26, 1985 in Spanaway, Washington a 14 year old girl killed two boys then herself with a .22-caliber rifle at the Spanaway Junior High School.
On December 9, 1985 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Archbishop Ryan High School for Boys a 22yr old Mental health patient took 6 students hostage with what ended up being a starter pistol and no one was hurt.
On December 10, 1985 at the Portland Junior High School in Portland, Connecticut, the Principal was having a heated discussion with a 13-year-old eighth-grader when he locked the boy inside an office. The student then pulled out a 9mm rifle and opened fire. The bullet shattered the glass door and struck the left forearm of the secretary and the glass injured the Principal. The boy fled for the 2nd floor, were he ran into the janitor, and shot him in the head. The boy then took a seventh-grader hostage. The boy's father and another family member came to the school and talked to him over the intercom system. After 45 minutes, he tossed the gun out a school window and was taken into custody.
On May 16, 1986 at the Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis In a ransom scheme, David and Doris Young, both in their forties, took 150 students and teachers hostage on this spring day. Their demand for $300 million dollars came to an abrupt end when Doris accidentally set off a bomb, killing herself and injuring 78 students and teachers. David wounded John Miller, a teacher who was trying to flee, then killed himself.
On March 2, 1987 in Missouri an honours student named Nathan Ferris, 12, killed a classmate and then himself.
On May 20, 1988 in Winnetka, Illinois a 30 year old named Laurie Dann shot and killed one and wounded five other kids in an elementary school, then took a family hostage and shot a man before killing herself.
On September 26, 1988 in Greenwood, South Carolina in the cafeteria of the Oakland Elementary School 19 year-old James William Wilson Jr., shot and killed Shequilla Bradley, 8 and wounded eight other children with a 9-round .22 caliber pistol. He went into the girls restroom to reload where he was attacked by Kat Finkbeiner, a Physical Education teacher. James shot her in the hand and mouth. He then entered 3rd grade classroom and wounded six more students.
On December 16, 1988 in Virginia Beach Nicholas Elliott, 15, opened fire with a semiautomatic pistol on his teachers at the Atlantic Shores Christian School. He killed one teacher and injured another, then turned the gun toward his classmates, but the gun jammed and he was quickly subdued by M. Hutchinson Matteson, another teacher.
On January 17, 1989 at the Cleveland School in Stockton, California 5 school children were killed and 29 were wounded by a single gunman firing over 100 rounds into a schoolyard with an AK-47
1990s
Starting in 1993, the United States entered a period of school shootings with the highest victim counts while near the same time the in the mid to late 1990s a major reduction in overall incidence gun related school violence, but was still plagued with multiple victim shootings including with increasing numbers of victims;
On May 1, 1992 in Olivehurst, California Eric Houston, 20, killed four people and wounded 10 in an armed siege at his former high school. Prosecutors said the attack was in retribution for a failing grade.
On October 12, 1995 in Blackville, South Carolina a suspended student shot two math teachers with a .32 caliber revolver.
On November 15, 1995 in Lynnville, Tennessee a seventeen-year-old boy shot and killed a student and teacher with a .22 rifle.
On February 2, 1996 in Moses Lake, Washington two students and one teacher were killed, and one other wounded when 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis opened fire on his algebra class.
On February 19, 1997 in Bethel, Alaska the principal and one student were killed, and two others wounded by Evan Ramsey, 16.
On October 1, 1997 in Pearl, Mississippi two students were killed and seven were wounded by Luke Woodham, 16, who was also accused of killing his mother. He and his friends were supposedly outcasts who worshiped Satan.
On December 1, 1997 in West Paducah, Kentucky three students were killed, and five wounded by Michael Carneal, 14, as they participated in a prayer circle at Heath High School.
On December 15, 1997 in Stamps, Arkansas two students were wounded when Colt Todd, 14, who was hiding in the woods, shot the students as they stood in the parking lot
On March 24, 1998 in Jonesboro, Arkansas Four students and one teacher were killed, and ten others wounded outside as Westside Middle School emptied out during a false fire alarm. Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, shot at their classmates and teachers from the woods
On April 24, 1998 in Edinboro, Pennsylvania one teacher, John Gillette, was killed and two students were wounded at a dance at James W. Parker Middle School. Andrew Wurst, 14, was charged for the shooting.
On May 21, 1998 in Springfield, Oregon two students were killed, and 22 others wounded in the cafeteria at Thurston High School by 15-year-old Kip Kinkel. Kinkel had been arrested and released a day earlier for bringing a gun to school. His parents were later found dead at home
On June 15, 1998 in Richmond, Virginia one teacher and one guidance counselor were wounded by a 14-year-old boy in a school hallway
One of the most infamous school shootings happened on April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado when 14 students (including the two shooters) and one teacher were killed, and 27 others wounded at Columbine High School in what was the nation's deadliest school shooting at the time.
Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, had plotted for a year to kill at least 500 and blow up their school. At the end of their hour-long rampage, they turned their guns on themselves.
On May 20, 1999 in Conyers, Georgia Six students were injured at Heritage High School by Thomas Solomon, 15, who was reportedly depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend
According to the National School Safety Center, since the 1992-1993 U.S. school year there has been a significant decline in school-associated violent deaths
2000 - Present
Contrary to traditional media reporting, violent deaths resulting from armed assaults on schools declined drastically in the 21st century. Most years, the numbers of violent deaths are down over 50% when you compare them to the preceding decade.
While there are fewer attacks in total resulting in less deaths, individual attacks have seen larger victim counts, which may account for the increase in media coverage and public outcry.
As of 1 January 2023, the ten deadliest school shootings in the United States were all in the 21st century, except for Columbine in 1999:
2007 Virginia Tech shooting (33 dead)
2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut (27 dead)
2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas (22 dead)
2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida (17 dead)
1999 Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado (13 dead)
2018 Santa Fe High School shooting in Texas (10 dead)
2005 Red Lake shootings in Minnesota (10 dead)
2015 Umpqua Community College shooting near Roseburg, Oregon (10 dead)
2012 Oikos University shooting in Oakland, California (7 dead)
2008 Northern Illinois University shooting (6 dead)
2006 West Nickel Mines School shooting in Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (6 dead)
A more detailed breakdown of individual violent shootings at schools from 2000 to the present will follow