At Least 6 People Killed, 20 Injured by Guns at American Schools in January

The 74 will be tracking gun-related injuries and deaths at schools throughout 2018. Bookmark this page for the latest reports, and see below for an interactive map of incidents involving the discharging of a firearm that causes a wound or fatality on school property.

Just 23 days into the new year, America witnessed its first mass school shooting of 2018. In an incident that reportedly stemmed from bullying, a 15-year-old male student entered his rural Kentucky high school and opened fire on his classmates.

In the days following the mass shooting at Marshall County High School, which resulted in two deaths and 18 injuries, the prevalence of school shootings once again dominated national headlines. The number of school shootings that have occurred in 2018 quickly morphed into a heated debate as well: While some accused national media outlets of downplaying the problem, others accused advocacy groups of exaggerating the frequency of gun violence in American classrooms.

For the remainder of 2018, The 74 will track in real time — or close to it — shootings at American schools. Our analysis will focus on incidents that occur on school grounds and result in injury or death. That includes suicides, which account for nearly two-thirds of all firearm deaths in the U.S., according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

During the month of January, at least six people died and 20 were injured by firearms on school property. Two of those deaths were suicides, including a 31-year-old veteran who shot himself in an elementary school parking lot. One Wake Forest University student was shot and killed after a fight broke out during a party.

This map includes school shootings that took place on campus where a person was injured or killed. Incidents resulting in injury are labeled blue, while incidents resulting in death are labeled red. The most recent incident is indicated with a larger icon.

Nationally, nearly 1,300 children (17 years old and younger) die from gunshot wounds each year and 5,790 are treated for injuries, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. While unintentional firearm deaths and homicides of children have decreased in recent years, suicides have spiked.

Among child gun deaths between 2012 and 2014, 53 percent were homicides, 38 percent were suicides, and 6 percent were unintentional.

Less than 3 percent of youth homicides and less than 1 percent of youth suicides occur at school, according to a recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics.

If we’ve missed a school incident you think should be included in our coverage, please send an email to info@the74million.org, and bookmark this page for the latest reports of incidents involving the discharging of a firearm that causes a wound or fatality on school property.

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