Timeline: The deadliest mass shootings in the US

Thirty people die in two mass shootings within hours, shocking the country and prompting calls for tighter gun control.

At least 22 people were killed after a man armed with an assault rifle opened fire in a packed Walmart store in El Paso, Texas on Saturday – the seventh deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

Hours later, a gunman dressed in body armour opened fire in a downtown district of Dayton, Ohio on Sunday, killing nine people and wounding at least 26 others. 

“God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio,” US President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday.

Six of the 10 deadliest massacres in the United States have taken place in the last five years. 

Here’s a look at the deadliest mass shootings in the US over the last 35 years:

Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (2017): 58 killed

  • Attacker Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd of concertgoers at a country music festival at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more. 

Pulse nightclub, Orlando (2016): 49 killed 

  • A heavily armed man killed 49 people inside a gay nightclub in the city of Orlando on June 12, 2016.

  • The attacker, US citizen Omar Mateen, was killed in a gun battle with police. He had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, which later claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Virginia Tech University, Virginia (2007): 32 killed

  • A 23-year-old student, South Korean national Seung-Hui Cho, went on a rampage at Virginia Tech University in April 2007, killing 27 students and five teachers before committing suicide.

Sutherland Springs church, Texas (2017): 26 killed

  • A gunman opened fire on a Sunday morning church service in the small rural town of Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing at least 26 people and injuring 20 others. The youngest person killed was 17 months old. 

Sandy Hook, Connecticut (2012): 26 killed

  • A 20-year-old American citizen, Adam Lanza, killed his mother in December 2012 before shooting and killing 20 children aged between 6 and 7, and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. He later committed suicide. 

Texas restaurant (1991): 23 killed

  • In October 1991, 35-year-old George Hennard, a US citizen, shot dead 22 people in a restaurant in the town of Killeen before shooting himself. The 23rd victim succumbed to her wounds three days after the shooting. 

Walmart store, El Paso (2019): 22 killed 

  • A man armed with an assault rifle opened fire at a packed shopping area in El Paso, in the US state of Texas, killing at least 20 people and wounding 26 others. 

McDonald’s, San Ysidro (1984): 21 killed 

  • In July 1984, 41-year-old James Huberty, shot dead 21 people and wounder 19 others in a mass shooting at McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro. 

Florida high school (2018): 17 killed

  • A former student opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in southeastern Florida, killing at least 17 and injuring more than a dozen others. 

San Bernardino (2015): 14 killed

A newlywed couple – US citizen Rizwan Farook and his Pakistani wife Tashfeen Malik, who was a permanent resident – stormed an office party at a social services centre in San Bernardino, California in December 2015, killing 14 people and injuring 22 others. The couple were shot dead by police.

Fort Hood military base (2009): 13 killed

  • In November 2009, US Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan opened fire at his military base in Killeen, killing 13 people and injuring 42 others. 

New York immigrant centre (2009): 13 killed

  • A Vietnamese immigrant, Jiverly Antares Wong, shot and killed 13 people at a civic centre in the city of Binghamton in April 2009, before killing himself.

Columbine High (1999): 13 killed

  • Two American teenage boys – Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold – shot and killed 12 classmates and a teacher, before killing themselves at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in April 1999.

Virginia Beach, Virginia (2019): 12 killed 

  • At least 12 people were killed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in May 2019 when a gunman opened fired at a municipal centre, sending employees scrambling for cover before police and shot and killed him, authorities said.

Navy Yard headquarters (2013): 12 killed

  • Former serviceman Aaron Alexis, a US citizen, shot randomly at workers at the Washington Navy Yard headquarters in September 2013, killing 12 people before he was shot dead by police.

Aurora, Colorado (2012): 12 killed

  • James Holmes, a US citizen born in California, wearing body armour, stormed a cinema showing a late-night premiere of a Batman film in Aurora, Colorado in July 2012, opening fire and releasing tear gas. Twelve people were killed and 70 others wounded. Holmes was sentenced to life in prison.

California bar (2018): 12 killed 

  • A 28-year-old US Marine Corps combat veteran opened fire in a crowded country music bar in California, killing 12 people in November 2018.

  • The assailant, a troubled former machine gunner who served a tour in Afghanistan, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Synagogue in Pittsburgh (2018): 11 killed 

  •  A 46-year-old gunman burst into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during Shabbat services, killing eleven people in October 2018.

  • He reportedly yelled “All Jews must die!” during the attack. He was indicted on 29 counts, some of which carry the death penalty.

High School in Santa Fe (2018): 10 killed

  • A 17-year-old student armed with a shotgun and a revolver opened fire just as classes started at his school in Santa Fe, Texas, in May 2018.

  • He killed 10 people, including eight students. The student, who authorities say used weapons legally owned by his father, was taken into custody on murder charges.

Oregon District of Dayton, Ohio (2019): 9 killed 

  • A gunman killed nine people and injured 16 in the Oregon District of Dayton, Ohio, but officers nearby were able to “put an end to it quickly” and shot the gunman.

  • The shooter has been identified as Connor Betts, 24, who reportedly did not have a previous police record.

Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies