Since 2006, Michigan has had 15 “mass murders” – defined as the killing of four or more people in a 24-hour period.
This week’s Oxford High School shooting marks the first of the 15 to take place at a school, according to a database from the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Ethan Crumbley, 15, is charged with killing four students and injuring seven others – including a teacher – in the Oxford High School shooting on Tuesday, Nov. 30. It’s Michigan’s first mass killing since October 2021, when Judy Boyer allegedly killed four people in Clare County and had a hit list of future victims.
The deadliest mass killing in Michigan in the past 15 years was in July 2011, when Rodrick Shonte Dantzler shot and killed his wife, daughter and five others in Grand Rapids.
Here’s a look at the details of Michigan’s 15 mass killings since 2006.
(Can’t see the map? Click here.)
(Can’t see the database? Click here.)
While Michigan hasn’t had any mass killings at a school since the data was compiled from 2006, there have been 81 shootings at K-12 schools in Michigan since 1970, per the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security.
Gun safety group Everytown for Gun Safety also tracks school shootings across the U.S. Before this week’s shooting, Michigan had gunfire on school property 22 times since 2013, resulting in five deaths and 16 injuries, per Everytown.
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When it comes to mass murders, Michigan ranks in the middle of the pack on a per capita basis. For every 1 million residents, Michigan has had 1.4 mass killing incidents since 2006, which is 23rd most of the 50 states. North Dakota had the highest rate with 3.9 mass killings per million.
Three states have had no mass killings since 2006, per the AP/USA Today/Northeastern database: Hawaii, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
(Can’t see the map? Click here.)
Not every killing was via gunfire – but 78% of the 478 U.S. mass killings were shootings, per the database. In Michigan, 13 of its 15 mass killings were via gunfire. The other two were from fires.
Here’s a breakdown of how many mass killings each state has had since 2006, broken down by incident type.
(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)
Mass shootings make up a small percentage of the total annual homicides in Michigan, but guns are the most common route for both. About 75% of Michigan’s 2019 homicides came via firearm, according to an analysis of federal data from The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence.
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