In August, two children were killed and nearly 30 were injured when a shooter fired bullets through a stained glass window during a Catholic School Mass in Minnesota. Almost exactly one month later, four people were killed while attending service at a Mormon church in Michigan.These are part of a larger — but rare — pattern of violence at religious institutions. While homicides at houses of worship are infrequent, they do occur.Over the past 25 years, there have been about 380 incidents at religious institutions that have resulted in about 490 deaths and 170 injuries. That’s according to data gathered by the Violence Prevention Project that tracks cases where at least one person was killed at or near a house of worship, including in the parking lot.Mass victim events — like that in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Grand Blanc, Michigan — tend to attract the most media attention, but they are a minority among killings at houses of worship. In nearly 90% of killings at houses of worship since 2000, there has been just one victim killed. These homicides can be the result of interpersonal disputes, domestic abuse and attempted robberies. Churches become targets because they are a known location where people will be, have valuables and may have a lesser police presence than other community zones.Most of the killing incidents — about 68% — were carried out with guns. The other weapons used include knives, blunt objects and vehicles. The majority of the killing incidents, 97%, took place at Christian churches, reflecting the large number of Christian churches in the United States. While killings at Jewish and Muslim houses of worship were less frequent, there are also fewer houses of worship for those faiths in the country. The data the Violence Prevention Project collects can only speak to homicides that have occurred and does not track threats made against institutions. The majority of homicides at houses of worship are not related to the religious ideology of where they occur, but the killings that are ideologically motivated have been among the most deadly.The three deadliest mass shootings at houses of worship in the U.S. since 2000 have all been ideologically motivated. In 2017, a gunman killed 26 people and wounded 22 at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The shooter voiced anti-Christian sentiments and preached about atheism in online posts on social media, though the mass shooting has also been linked to domestic conflict. Multiple motives can feed an attack, and often a full motive can be difficult to determine in mass shooting cases.One year later, a shooter opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing 11 and injuring six. The shooter had previously posted antisemitic messages online.In Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, nine were killed in an attack at the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The shooter was a white supremacist and neo-nazi who expressed racial hatred online.The Mormon church shooting on Sept. 28 was the 50th gun violence incident this year at a house of worship where at least one victim was injured or killed, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. The violence has occurred across the country — 31 of the 50 states have had a shooting at a house of worship so far this year. Still, these types of homicides are not common. People are more likely to be victims of gun violence in their own home than in a church, James Densley, cofounder of the Violence Prevention Project, said.The small number of cases makes it hard to determine any significant trends over time. While there have been more incidents of violence at houses of worship in recent years, Densley said that the numbers ebb and flow. The Violence Prevention Project started tracking data on killings at houses of worship around 2022. It also tracks data on mass shootings/shooters in general, and on homicides at schools. “(Churches and schools) should be the safest places to be, and when they’re not, it’s especially gut-wrenching,” Densley said. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
In August, two children were killed and nearly 30 were injured when a shooter fired bullets through a stained glass window during a Catholic School Mass in Minnesota. Almost exactly one month later, four people were killed while attending service at a Mormon church in Michigan.
These are part of a larger — but rare — pattern of violence at religious institutions.
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While homicides at houses of worship are infrequent, they do occur.
Over the past 25 years, there have been about 380 incidents at religious institutions that have resulted in about 490 deaths and 170 injuries. That’s according to data gathered by the Violence Prevention Project that tracks cases where at least one person was killed at or near a house of worship, including in the parking lot.
Mass victim events — like that in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Grand Blanc, Michigan — tend to attract the most media attention, but they are a minority among killings at houses of worship.
In nearly 90% of killings at houses of worship since 2000, there has been just one victim killed. These homicides can be the result of interpersonal disputes, domestic abuse and attempted robberies.
Churches become targets because they are a known location where people will be, have valuables and may have a lesser police presence than other community zones.
Most of the killing incidents — about 68% — were carried out with guns. The other weapons used include knives, blunt objects and vehicles.
The majority of the killing incidents, 97%, took place at Christian churches, reflecting the large number of Christian churches in the United States.
While killings at Jewish and Muslim houses of worship were less frequent, there are also fewer houses of worship for those faiths in the country.
The data the Violence Prevention Project collects can only speak to homicides that have occurred and does not track threats made against institutions.
The majority of homicides at houses of worship are not related to the religious ideology of where they occur, but the killings that are ideologically motivated have been among the most deadly.
The three deadliest mass shootings at houses of worship in the U.S. since 2000 have all been ideologically motivated.
In 2017, a gunman killed 26 people and wounded 22 at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The shooter voiced anti-Christian sentiments and preached about atheism in online posts on social media, though the mass shooting has also been linked to domestic conflict. Multiple motives can feed an attack, and often a full motive can be difficult to determine in mass shooting cases.
One year later, a shooter opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing 11 and injuring six. The shooter had previously posted antisemitic messages online.
In Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, nine were killed in an attack at the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The shooter was a white supremacist and neo-nazi who expressed racial hatred online.
The Mormon church shooting on Sept. 28 was the 50th gun violence incident this year at a house of worship where at least one victim was injured or killed, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.
The violence has occurred across the country — 31 of the 50 states have had a shooting at a house of worship so far this year.
Still, these types of homicides are not common. People are more likely to be victims of gun violence in their own home than in a church, James Densley, cofounder of the Violence Prevention Project, said.
The small number of cases makes it hard to determine any significant trends over time. While there have been more incidents of violence at houses of worship in recent years, Densley said that the numbers ebb and flow.
The Violence Prevention Project started tracking data on killings at houses of worship around 2022. It also tracks data on mass shootings/shooters in general, and on homicides at schools.
“(Churches and schools) should be the safest places to be, and when they’re not, it’s especially gut-wrenching,” Densley said.
