Active shooter incidents in U.S. increase over 50 pct in 2021, FBI says

LOS ANGELES, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The number of active shooter incidents in the United States in 2021 increased by more than 50 percent from the previous year, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a new report.

According to the report, released on Monday, the FBI designated 61 shootings as active shooter incidents in the country last year. In these incidents, 103 people were killed and 140 wounded, excluding the shooters.

The number of active shooter incidents identified in 2021 represents a 52.5 percent increase from 2020 and a 96.8 percent increase from 2017, said the report, titled "Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2021." Active shooter incident data reveals an upward trend for the period between 2017 to 2021.

The casualties in 2021 represent the third highest total casualty count over the last five years. The year of 2021 also saw the highest number of deaths since 2017, up by 171.1 percent from 2020 and above the average (92.3) for the period 2017-2020.

For 2021, the FBI also revealed that the agency observed an emerging trend involving roving active shooters that "specifically, shooters who shoot in multiple locations, either in one day or in various locations over several days."

The 61 incidents in 2021 were carried out by 61 shooters. Sixty shooters were male, and one was female, said the report.

The FBI defines an active shooter as one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.

John Cohen, the former acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, told ABC News in a Monday report that the country is seeing a trend with active shooters.

"The U.S. is in the midst of a multiyear trend where we are experiencing an increase in mass shooters who are seeking to advance their ideological beliefs or based on a perceived personal grievance," Cohen was quoted as saying.

"A growing subset of our population believes that violence is an acceptable way to express one's ideological beliefs or seek redress for a perceived personal grievance," he said.