The latest mass killing in the U.S. happened Wednesday, March 27, in Rockford, Illinois, where authorities said a 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with a frenzied stabbing and beating rampage that left four people dead in a matter of minutes and at least seven people injured.
The man has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder and home invasion with a dangerous weapon, authorities said. Rockford's mayor said the victims were 63, 23, 49 and 15. Police said the man acted alone, and they don't know his motive.
The attacks quickly unfolded in a neighborhood of ranch-style homes around 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Police said less than 20 minutes passed between the initial 911 call and the man's arrest.
It was the country’s 13th mass killing this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At least 60 people have died this year in those killings, which are defined as incidents in which four or more people die within a 24-hour period, not including the killer — the same definition used by the FBI.
The nation is witnessing the fourth-highest number on record of deaths due to mass killings by this point in a single year. Only the years 2023, 2008 and 2009 had more with 83, 81 and 67 deaths by this point in each respective year. Last year ended with 217 deaths from 42 mass killings in the U.S., making 2023 one of the deadliest years on record in the country.
As of Sunday, March 31, 587 mass killings have occurred since 2006, in which 3,049 people have died and 2,054 people have been injured, according to the database.
A look at other U.S. mass killings this year:
IRELAND, WEST VIRGINIA: March 11
The bodies of four people, ages 3 months to 90 years, were found inside the remains of a burning home. A fifth person with an apparent gunshot wound was discovered dead behind a chicken coop nearby, authorities said. A 45-year-old male suspect was also found dead by suicide in a vehicle about 110 miles (177 kilometers) away, parked outside a home of his relatives. Authorities did not immediately share details about a motive.
HONOLULU, HAWAII: March 10
Authorities said a woman and three children ages 10, 12 and 17 were fatally stabbed in a Manoa home. The woman's husband was also found dead. Police said a preliminary investigation shows the husband fatally stabbed his wife and children. Authorities did not immediately share a motive. Police said the five deaths mark the state's worst mass killing since 1999. They said there was no history of domestic calls to the residence.
KING CITY, CALIFORNIA: March 3
Police said three men with dark masks got out of a silver Kia and opened fire at an outdoor party in central California, killing four people — three men and a woman — and wounding seven others. The shooting happened on a street with modest homes facing a commercial district. About 14,000 people live in King City, which sits in farm country on the inland side of coastal mountains and is known as a gateway to Pinnacles National Park.
FERGUSON, MISSOURI: Feb. 19
Authorities said a 39-year-old woman intentionally set a fire at home to kill herself and her four children, ages 2, 5, 9 and 9. Investigators believe the mother set fire to a mattress, and a note was left stating her intentions to kill herself and her children, police said. Responding firefighters found the home engulfed in flames Neighbors had tried to save the family, but the fire was too intense.
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: Feb. 16
Officials said four men were killed in a drive-by shooting in a neighborhood. Dozens of shots were fired outside a Birmingham home, police said. A group had been standing outside of a house as people got their cars washed when someone drove by and opened fire. No arrests were immediately reported.
HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIFORNIA: Feb. 11
Shootings over several hours left four people dead: a man in Bell, a man in a Los Angeles shopping center parking lot, a 14-year-old boy in Cudahy, and a homeless man in Huntington Park, authorities said. At least one other juvenile was wounded. Two suspected gang members were arrested in connection with the shootings, authorities said.
EAST LANSDOWNE, PENNSYLVANIA: Feb. 7
Six sets of human remains were recovered from the ashes of a fire that destroyed a home about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Philadelphia, according to the county district attorney’s office. Authorities suspect the family members who died — including three children — were killed by a 43-year-old male relative who also died after shooting and wounding two police officers, the office added. A motive was not immediately identified.
EL MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA: Jan. 23
Authorities found the bodies of six men in the Mojave Desert outside the sparsely populated community of El Mirage after someone called 911 and said he had been shot, according to sheriff’s officials. The men were likely shot to death in a dispute over marijuana, local authorities said. The bodies were found about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles in an area known for illegal cannabis operations. Five men were arrested and charged with murder.
JOLIET, ILLINOIS: Jan. 21
Authorities said a 23-year-old man shot eight people — including seven of his relatives — and injuring a ninth person in a Chicago suburb. He fatally shot himself later during a confrontation with law enforcement in Texas. Authorities believe he was trying to reach Mexico. Police said the victims included his mother, siblings, aunt, uncle and two men he might not have known. They were found in two homes, outside an apartment building and on a residential street.
TINLEY PARK, ILLINOIS: Jan. 21
A 63-year-old man in suburban Chicago killed his wife and three adult daughters a domestic-related shooting, police said. The man allegedly shot the four family members — ages 53, 24 and two 25-year-old twins — after an argument at their home. He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
RICHMOND, TEXAS: Jan. 13
A 46-year-old man fatally shot his estranged wife and three other relatives, including his 8-year-old niece, at a home in suburban Houston before killing himself, authorities said. The man opened fire at the home just before 7 a.m. that Saturday after returning his young child from a visit. Authorities said that after arriving at the home, he told his estranged wife that he wanted to reunite, but she refused. In addition to killing his niece and estranged wife, he also killed her brother and sister, ages 43 and 46.
REEDLEY, CALIFORNIA: Jan. 6
A 17-year-old boy was charged with killing four members of a neighboring family in central California. He lived next door to the victims — ages 81, 61, 44 and 43 — in Reedley, a small town near Fresno. Three bodies were found in the backyard of their home, including one buried in a shallow grave, police said. One body was found in the detached garage of the teenager’s home, police said.
The Associated Press
