The 10 Deadliest Mass Shootings In U.S. History

Published October 2, 2017

Inside America's devastating, decades-long propensity for gun violence on a massive scale.

Fort Hood
U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan murdered 13 people while injuring 30 others at Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas on November 5, 2009. Before the shooting, Hasan appeared to have been radicalized by an Islamic cleric. He was later convicted and sentenced to death. Getty Images

Postal Shooting
Part-time mail carrier Patrick Henry Sherrill, shot and killed 14 postal workers in Edmund, Oklahoma on August 20, 1986. Following his rampage, Sherrill killed himself.Oklahoma Highway Patrol Collection

San Bernardino
After pledging their allegiance to the Islamic State, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 and injured 22 at a San Bernardino County, California Department of Public Health training event and holiday party on December 2, 2015. Following a police chase and shootout, the married couple were gunned down by police.Wikimedia Commons

Texas Tower Shooting
Charles Joseph Whitman, a former U.S. Marine, murdered 16 people from a tower at the University of Texas before being shot by police on August 1, 1966.Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Mcdonalds Shooting
Before, being killed by police, James Huberty gunned down down 21 adults and children at a McDonald's in San Ysidro, California on July 18, 1984.Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Lubys Shooting
George Hennard crashed his pickup through the wall of Luby's restaurant in Killeen, Texas and shot 23 people before committing suicide on October 16, 1991.Gaylon Wampler/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

Sandy Hook
Before killing himself, Adam Lanza shot 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012.Mario Tama/Getty Images

Virginia Tech Shooting
Before turning the gun on himself, Seung Hui Cho, a 23-year-old student, killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007.Alex Wong/Getty Images

Pulse Orlando
Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 58 others at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016. Mateen was then killed by police.Gerardo Mora/Getty Images

Las Vegas
Stephen Paddock killed at least 58 and wounded some 500 people with an automatic rifle from atop the 32nd floor Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017. Before the police could reach him, he killed himself. David Becker/Getty Images

On October 1, 2017, a lone gunman stood at a 32nd-floor window of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas and unleashed a barrage of automatic gunfire onto concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Ultimately, more than 50 people died while another 500 lay wounded.

And while this stands as the highest death toll for any shooting ever carried out within the U.S., it was far from the only tragic event of its kind. Above are the 10 deadliest mass shootings in American history.


Next, take a look at the most powerful images of the Las vegas shooting. Then read about how mass shootings lead to more guns sales.

author
All That's Interesting
author
A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.