Mass killings in 2019 in the US highest since 1970s

There were more mass killings in America in 2019 than any year dating back to at least the 1970s, according to US reports.

A database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University shows there were 41 mass killings, in which 211 people died. Of these attacks, 33 were mass shootings.

A mass killing is defined as when four or more people are killed, excluding the perpetrator.

The 41 mass killings were the most in a single year since the database began tracking such events in 2006. Other research going back to the 1970s shows no other year with as many mass slayings.

The second highest year was 2006, with 38.

The report found that the majority of mass killings do not make national news in America.

Although the motive for most cases is not known, the majority of killings involved people who knew each other, such as attacks on family members, friends or colleagues.

Although there were more mass killings, the overall number of victims – 211 – is lower than in 2017, when 224 died. That year saw America’s deadliest mass shooting in modern history, when Stephen Paddock killed 59 people in Las Vegas.

Read more via USA Today