The U.S. had the highest number of mass killings on record in 2019, with 41 incidents claiming 211 lives this year, even as the overall U.S. homicide rate dropped, according to a database. The records compiled by the Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University shows that there were more mass killings in 2019 than any year dating back to at least the 1970s. Thirty-three of the incidents were mass shootings, defined as when four or more people are killed, excluding the perpetrator. According to the database, the majority of the killings involved people who knew each other, and all but eight mass killings involved firearms.
