We're Averaging One School Shooting Incident Every 63 Hours In 2018

Updated February 15, 2018 at 3:40 AM

A reported shooting at a South Florida high school on Wednesday marks the country’s 17th shooting incident at a school in 2018, just 45 days into the year.

That’s an average of one shooting incident on a campus about every 63 hours thus far in 2018, more than double the number recorded in any of the previous three years in that same period. Those numbers are according to data compiled by the gun control advocacy organization Everytown for Gun Safety, which defines a school shooting as any time a firearm is discharged on or around a campus.

Seventeen people were killed in Wednesday’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

President Donald Trump has spoken vaguely about the need to curb shootings, saying after the Las Vegas massacre in October that the U.S. would start “talking about gun laws as time goes by.”

Students embrace after being released from a lockdown during Wednesday's shooting. (Photo: Sun Sentinel via Getty Images)

Some three months later, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had little new information on that subject.

“The president believes that all Americans deserve to be safe in their schools and in their communities,” Sanders said after a deadly school shooting in Kentucky last month. “We’ve tried to crack down on crime throughout the country.”

Meanwhile, Congress is still looking into loosening some gun control restrictions.

Below are the details from the 16 other school shooting incidents in 2018 recorded by Everytown, which includes some shooting incidents without injuries, deaths or the involvement of students.

Some have criticized that definition as inflating the tally of school shooting incidents, but the group stands by its methodology. Students are in danger any time a gun goes off on or near campus, it says, and narrowly defining school shootings as events like the Parkland tragedy gives the false impression that intruder-type shootings are the only gun threats on campuses.

Feb. 8: The Metropolitan High School in New York City

A gunshot was fired in the Bronx school and left a bullet hole in a classroom floor but caused no injuries. Police took a 17-year-old into custody.

Feb. 5: Harmony Learning Center in Maplewood, Minnesota

A third-grader discharged a police officer’s holstered gun while participating in a group activity at the K-12 school. No injuries were reported.

Feb. 5: Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland

A student was shot outside the school in an apparent robbery attempt and hospitalized for several hours. Police charged two other teenagers with attempted murder.

Feb. 1: Salvador B. Castro Middle School in Los Angeles

Two middle school students sustained injuries after they were shot in a classroom. Police took a 12-year-old girl into custody in connection with the shooting.

Jan. 31: Lincoln High School in Philadelphia

A 32-year-old man died after being shot twice in the leg outside the high school during after a brawl broke out during a school basketball game.

Jan. 26: Dearborn High School in Dearborn, Michigan

Someone fired shots from a car at the school’s parking lot during a basketball game, but no one was injured.

Jan. 25: Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama

A 16-year-old student fired multiple shots at another student after a verbal disagreement. No one was injured.

Jan. 23: Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky

A 15-year-old boy opened fire inside the school, killing two and injuring 16.

Jan. 22: NET Charter High School in New Orleans

Someone driving by the school fired on a group of students in the parking lot. One boy was injured.

Jan. 22: Italy High School in Italy, Texas

A 16-year-old boy shot a 15-year-old girl in the cafeteria. He was arrested and she was airlifted to a hospital, where she was later reported to be “in good spirits.”

Jan. 20: Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Following an argument, a 21-year-old Winston-Salem University student was shot and killed during a sorority event at Wake Forest University.

Jan. 15: Wiley College in Marshall, Texas

Two people in a car exchanged gunfire with a person in a dormitory parking lot. No one was injured, but a bullet was fired into a dorm room with three female students inside.

Jan. 10: Coronado Elementary School in Sierra Vista, Arizona

A 14-year-old died in a school bathroom from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Jan. 10: Grayson College in Denison, Texas

A student confused a training weapon with a real one and fired a bullet through a classroom wall. No students were injured.

Jan. 10: California State University in San Bernardino, California

At least one shot was fired, shattering a classroom window. No students were injured.

Jan. 4: New Start High School in Seattle

Two shots were fired at the school from outside the building. No students were injured.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this story stated that Everytown had counted 18 shootings on campuses this year. Since this story was published, the organization has removed one incident from its list that involved a suicide at a closed school. This story has also been updated to include more information about Everytown’s methodology.

Willa Frej contributed reporting. An earlier version of this story ran in January.

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