Midtown Atlanta shooting sparks debate on definition of 'mass shooting'

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Updated  May 5, 2023 5:29am EDT
FOX 5 Atlanta
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Midtown shooting timeline

We're breaking down the timeline of events surrounding the Wednesday shooting in Midtown Atlanta that claimed the life of one woman and injured four others. The suspect is in custody.

A shooting that took place in Midtown Atlanta on Wednesday has sparked a debate on whether it should be labeled as a mass shooting. While the mayor of Atlanta and other Georgia officials are referring to it as a mass shooting and demanding changes in gun laws, there seems to be a lack of consensus nationwide and even globally on the definition of a mass shooting.

According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which maintains a database and tracks all shootings in the U.S., a mass shooting is defined as a minimum of four victims shot, dead or alive, not including the shooter who may have also been injured or killed during the incident. Additionally, media outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist and BBC also define a mass shooting as four people shot, dead or alive.

The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University, which also maintain a database, define a mass shooting as a minimum of four victims shot and killed, not including the shooter. Also, the FBI, Everytown for Gun Safety, and the Congressional Research Service define a mass shooting involving the deaths of four or more people, excluding the shooter. CBS defines a mass shooting as the shooting of five people, whether they are killed.

Mother Jones, which is an American progressive magazine, also keeps an open-source database of mass shootings and tracks any incident involving three or more victims, excluding shootings stemming from conventionally-motivated crimes such as armed robbery or gang violence, and only counts shootings that happen in a public place.

Using the GVA's definition, there have been 10 mass shootings in Georgia in 2023, while using the Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University's definition, there have been no mass shootings in the Georgia this year. However, if counting the number of shootings with multiple victims (three or more), there have been 19 such shootings so far this year in the state of Georgia.

This – differing definitions -- is the primary reason why you will see the difference in how shootings with multiple victims are labeled by the media, politicians, organizations and others. 

It's important to note that labeling a shooting as a mass shooting based solely on a number doesn't take into account the intentions of the shooter. Many criminal justice experts believe that a shooting can only be labeled a mass shooting if there was planning and premeditation prior to the shooting.

While politicians and concerned groups are often quick to label any shooting involving more than three or four people as a mass shooting, it's unclear whether making changes to gun laws will have an immediate effect. Nonetheless, the recent incident has sparked a renewed debate on gun control and mental health treatment, with many calling for immediate action to prevent such incidents from happening again.

SHOOTINGS INVOLVING MULTI-VICTIMS (3 or more) IN GEORGIA

(The above numbers do not include the shooter, who may have also been injured or killed)

DEADLIEST 15 MASS SHOOTINGS 

2017: Las Vegas, NV (Route 91 festival/Las Vegas Strip) -- 867 injured/60 dead
2016: Orlando, FL (Pulse Nightclub) -- 58 injured/49 dead
2007: Blacksburg, VA (Virginia Tech) -- 23 injured/32 dead
2012: Newton, CT (Sandy Hood Elementary) -- 2 injured/27 dead
2017: Sutherland Springs, TX (Texas First Baptist Church) -- 22 injured/26 dead
1991: Killeen, TX (Luby's) -- 27 injured/23 dead
2019: El Paso, TX (Walmart) -- 23 injured/23 dead
1984: San Ysidro, CA (McDonald's) -- 19 injured/21 dead
2022: Uvalde, TX (Robb Elementary School) -- 15 injured/21 dead
1966: Austin, TX (University of Texas) -- 31 injured/16 dead
2018: Parkland, FL (Stoneman Douglas High School) -- 17 dead/17 injured
2009: Fort Hood, TX (Fort Hood military base) -- 32 injured/14 dead
2015: San Bernardino, CA (Inland Regional Center) -- 24 injured/14 dead
1986: Edmond, OK (USPS) -- 6 injured/14 dead
1999: Littleton, CO (Columbine High School) -- 24 injured/13 dead

OTHER SOURCES

Definitions of mass violence crimes 
How many US mass shootings have there been in 2023? 
Mass shootings in U.S. on a record pace in 2023 so far 

RELATED STORIES

Grieving mothers call for stricter gun laws

ATLANTA SHOOTING STORIES


 NOTE: This article has been updated to include the shooting on May 4 that resulted in 3 dead. That also means that the number of mass shootings in the state of Georgia according to GVA's standards has increased.