First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen. The University of Texas at Austin.
And now, a Walmart in El Paso.
Of the 10 deadliest shootings in modern US history, four have taken place in Texas.
Here’s an explanation of why we say “modern history.”
(And here’s a full list, dating back to 1949, that goes beyond the 10 deadliest. It includes the Fort Hood attack in 2009 and the shooting spree at Santa Fe High School in 2018, both in Texas.)
READ: A spotlight on Texas gun laws
Below is a list of the 10 deadliest single-day mass shootings in modern US history. If the shooter was killed or died by suicide during the incident, that death is not included in the total.
The Harvest Music Festival: 58 killed
October 1, 2017 – A gunman, identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, fires from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on a crowd of more than 20,000 gathered on the Las Vegas Strip for the Route 91 Harvest music festival. He kills 58 people and injures more than 500. Police believe the gunman then kills himself. It is the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
Pulse night club: 49 killed
June 12, 2016 – Omar Saddiqui Mateen, 29, opens fire inside Pulse, a gay nightclub, in Orlando. At least 49 people are killed and more than 50 are injured. Police shoot and kill Mateen during an operation to free hostages officials say he was holding at the club.
Virginia Tech: 32 killed
April 16, 2007 – Student Seung-Hui Cho, 23, goes on a shooting spree, killing 32 people in two locations and wounding an undetermined number of others on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The shooter dies by suicide.
Sandy Hook: 27 killed
December 14, 2012 – Adam Lanza, 20, guns down 20 children, ages 6 and 7, and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, before turning the gun on himself. Investigators find the shooter’s mother, Nancy Lanza, dead from a gunshot wound.
First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs: 25 and an unborn child killed
November 5, 2017 – A man walks into a small church in a rural Texas town and guns down 25 people and an unborn child. The shooter, identified by two law enforcement sources as Devin Patrick Kelley, is found dead after a brief chase, but it’s unclear whether he is killed or took his own life. It is the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history.
Luby’s Cafeteria: 23 killed
October 16, 1991 – In Killeen, Texas, 35-year-old George Hennard crashes his pickup truck through the wall of a Luby’s Cafeteria. After exiting the truck, Hennard shoots and kills 23 people. He then takes his own life.
McDonald’s in San Ysidro: 21 killed
July 18, 1984 – In San Ysidro, California, 41-year-old James Huberty, armed with a long-barreled Uzi, a pump-action shotgun and a handgun, shoots and kills 21 adults and children at a McDonald’s. A police sharpshooter kills Huberty one hour after the rampage begins.
Walmart in El Paso: At least 20 killed
August 3, 2019 – Twenty people are killed when a man walks into a Walmart and begins firing. Officials said up to 3,000 shoppers and 100 employees are inside the building at the time.
University of Texas: 18 killed
August 1, 1966 – Charles J. Whitman, a former US Marine, kills 16 and wounds at least 30 while shooting from a tower at the University of Texas at Austin. Police officers Ramiro Martinez and Houston McCoy shoot and kill Whitman in the tower. Whitman killed his mother and wife earlier in the day.
Parkland, Florida: 17 killed
February 14, 2018 – A former student opens fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The suspect had been expelled for disciplinary reasons, officials said. He was taken into custody shortly after the attack.
