US News: A child’s birthday party in California became the latest scene of unspeakable tragedy on Saturday night, pushing the nation’s tally of mass killings this year to 17. The attack in Stockton claimed the lives of three young siblings and a family friend while wounding 11 others.
According to the database maintained by The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University, at least 81 people have died in mass killings across the United States in 2025. The widely accepted definition used by researchers and federal authorities counts incidents in which four or more people are killed in a single event, excluding the perpetrator.
Firearms were used in 14 of the 17 incidents, continuing a long-standing pattern in which guns are involved in the overwhelming majority of these tragedies.
Below is the complete list of mass killings recorded in the United States this year:
January 1 – New Orleans, Louisiana
A man intentionally drove a pickup truck into crowds celebrating New Year’s on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people in an attack the FBI classified as terrorism.
February 11 – Byron, Wyoming
A mother shot her four daughters, ages 2 to 9, before taking her own life. Three of the children died at the scene; the fourth died later in a hospital.
February 24 – Lake Station, Indiana
Police conducting a welfare check found a mother and her three daughters, ages 4, 6, and 7, fatally shot. The father died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
March 29 – Hallandale Beach, Florida
A man killed his estranged partner and three of her children before killing himself. One additional child survived gunshot wounds.
April 5 – Perry, Georgia
Three adults and a 2-year-old boy were found dead inside a mobile home. Three victims were stabbed; the child was suffocated. Charges were filed weeks later.
May 17 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Four people were shot and killed inside a vehicle in the Phillips neighborhood in what authorities described as a targeted retaliation attack.
June 26 – Chicago, Illinois
A man set fire to an apartment building in the Austin neighborhood after pouring gasoline throughout the structure, killing four people. He has been charged with murder and arson.
July 2 – Chicago, Illinois
Gunfire erupted outside an album release party, killing four people and wounding 14 others in a drive-by shooting. No arrests have been announced.
July 29 – Talladega, Alabama
Four people were found shot to death in an apartment. A friend of one of the victims has been charged with the killings.
July 28 – New York City, New York
A gunman opened fire inside a Midtown Manhattan office building, killing four people before taking his own life.
July 29 – Tiptonville, Tennessee
Four family members connected to an abandoned infant were found shot to death in a wooded area. The boyfriend of a relative has been charged.
August 1 – Anaconda, Montana
Four people were shot and killed inside a local bar. The suspect was arrested after a week-long manhunt.
August 30 – Merlin, Oregon
Two adults and three children, ages 7, 9, and 11, were found dead in a rural home in an apparent murder-suicide.
September – Grand Blanc Township, Michigan
A gunman attacked a church of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, killing four people before being shot by police.
October 10 – Leland, Mississippi
Seven people were shot and killed after a high school football game. Multiple suspects face capital murder charges.
October 12 – St. Helena Island, South Carolina
Four people died and at least 15 were wounded during a shooting at a high school reunion event held at a local bar.
November 29 – Stockton, California
Three siblings, ages 8, 9, and 14, along with a 21-year-old family friend, were killed when gunfire erupted at a child’s birthday party. Eleven others were injured.
As the year draws to a close, law enforcement agencies and researchers continue to monitor and verify reports to ensure the database remains accurate. Each incident has left communities searching for answers and struggling to heal from sudden, profound loss.
