With a mass shooting in Eustis Friday and one in Pensacola last Sunday, just over halfway into 2024 Florida is quickly approaching the same total reported all year in 2023.
There have been 24 mass shootings in Florida so far this year, according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive. Last year, there were 30 altogether, down from 31 the year before. A recent study from safety product review site SafeHomes.org showed Floridians purchased nearly half a million firearms in the first four months of 2024.
Florida has led the nation all year in mass shootings, but Illinois has seen more gun violence in the last few weeks — including two on Sunday, Aug. 4 — and now has had more than any other state with 26, according to GVA records. Florida and California are next, with 24 each, and Texas and Pennsylvania have both had 20.
In Eustis, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responding to a disturbance call were met with a hail of gunfire that left one deputy dead and two more injured. Three of the suspects also died, apparently of self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head, the LCSO said.
Two people were fatally shot and five more injured July 28 when three men opened fire on a group of people playing dice in a Pensacola community center.
FBI reports violent crime down from 2023
The total number of mass shootings is up so far from last year, with 424 according to GVA data, compared to 310 by this time last year.
In July, the FBI announced violent crime was down so far this year, and 2023 declined from the year before. In its 2024 Quarterly Crime Report and Use-of-Force Data Update, the agency said murder decreased by 26.4%, rape was down by 25.7%, robbery dropped 17.8%, and aggravated assault decreased by 12.5% over 2023, according to preliminary reports.
A new report from the Council on Criminal Justice showed most violent crimes in U.S. cities are back down to pre-pandemic levels.
Last year showed an overall 8-10% decrease in deaths and injuries from gun violence compared to 2022 and the FBI reported violent crime, robberies and burglary were all down in 2023.
Florida has 2nd most mass shootings in US this year
Florida led the nation in mass shootings until recently with 24 so far in 2024, one more than during the same time period last year, according to GVA data.
The GVA defines “mass shooting” as one involving four or more people shot or killed in a single incident, not including the shooter, and does not differentiate based on circumstances.
How many people have died so far from gun violence in the US in 2024?
According to GVA data, as of the morning of Aug. 6:
-
10,184 people have died, including 143 children and 716 teens.
-
19,642 people have been injured, including 349 children and 2,016 teens.
-
261 law enforcement officers have been killed or injured.
-
Law enforcement officers have killed 886 people and injured 497 in officer-involved incidents, the only category the GVA lists where the fatalities outnumber the injured.
-
751 people were killed in self-defense.
-
822 people died from unintentional shootings.
-
401 people died in murder/suicide incidents.
The GVA has temporarily stopped reporting total deaths from suicide “until we can get better data” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
How many mass shootings in 2024 happened in Florida?
There have been 24 mass shootings in Florida this year, by the GVA definition:
-
Jan. 20, Plantation: Four people were injured in a shooting in front of a Best Buy. One person later died.
-
Jan. 20, Palm Bay: A man shot and killed his mother, grandfather and sister and injured his 15-year-old nephew and one other person.
-
Jan. 28, Palm Bay: A man shot and killed a priest, the priest’s sister, and his own grandfather and injured two police officers.
-
Feb. 28: Orlando: An argument over when a vehicle was to be returned resulted in one person killed and six injured.
-
March 12, Lawty: Man with knife wound accused of shooting and killing three women.
-
March 25, Pompano Beach: A 16-year-old boy and three men were shot by multiple suspects who approached them, deputies said.
-
March 31, St. Petersburg: Men arguing outside a restaurant opened fire, injuring three men in their 20s and a 17-year-old girl, police said.
-
April 5, Riviera Beach: Four injured in shooting, including a minor.
-
April 6, Doral: Man in bar disturbance shoots and kills security officer, six people injured in resulting firefight.
-
April 11, Orlando: Deputies responded to a call and found four men shot. One died later.
-
April 27, Daytona Beach: A man shot and injured four people during a “physical altercation.”
-
April 28, Sanford: A 16-year-old shot and injured 10 people at a bar, including Houston Texans’ WR Tank Dell.
-
April 29, Miami Gardens: Argument about teen fight leaves five people injured, including two teens.
-
May 12, Tallahassee: Four people shot in shopping center parking lot, two died.
-
May 18, Sarasota: One person killed, four people (including Auburn RB Brian Battie) were injured.
-
May 25, Fort Pierce: Five people aged 15-20 shot at gathering.
-
June 2, Pensacola: One person was shot in the foot and three others hit with shrapnel from gunire, police said.
-
June 12, Hudson: Man admits to shooting two adults and killing two children, burning all four bodies in fire pit
-
June 14, Fort Lauderdale: An apparent drive-by shooting left one person dead and four injured.
-
June 23, Tampa: Jacksonville rapper Julio Foolio shot and killed, three others injured outside Holiday Inn.
-
July 5, Tampa: Security guard, three bystanders injured in altercation.
-
July 8, Fort Lauderdale: A driveby shooting left a man and woman dead and three other people, including a 2-year-old, injured.
-
July 28, Pensacola: Three killed, five injured when three men opened fire on a group of people playing dice.
-
Aug. 2, Eustis: One deputy killed, two injured, three suspects dead of apparent self-inflicted wounds.
How many mass shootings happened in Florida in 2023?
Florida mass shootings were down slightly last year, with 30 reported in 2023 compared to 31 each year in both 2022 and 2021 and 35 in 2020. During the year, 134 people were injured and 38 were killed.
What is considered a mass shooting?
The definition varies, depending on the source.
The GVA (and the Congressional Research Service) defines a mass shooting only on the number of people shot in an incident: four or more, not including the shooter.
USA TODAY defines a mass shooting as an incident where at least four people are hit with gunfire, even if there are no fatalities. Mass killing refers to an incident in which at least four people are killed.
The FBI does not define “mass shooting” at all. The agency defines “mass killing” or “mass murder” as an incident in which four or more victims are killed by any intentional means, which may include gun violence.
The FBI reported 40 shootings in 2020 a report on active shooter incidents compared to the GVA’s total of 610 mass shootings, but in the report the agency excluded self-defense, gang violence, drug violence, residential or domestic disputes, hostage situations, crossfire during another criminal act and “an action that appeared not to have put other people in peril.” The GVA includes all people injured or killed by gun violence regardless of circumstances.
The GVA numbers — which have been disputed by pro-firearm organizations — may differ from the FBI or CDC as they collect data from 7,500 law enforcement, government and media sources, the site explained. The CDC uses death certificates for gun deaths, according to the GVA, and they and the FBI rely on a sampling of courses and then extrapolate the numbers to get estimated totals. Incidents that cannot be verified are not included.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Mass shootings in US: Florida has had 24 so far in 2024
Source Agencies
