White Extremist Ideology Drives Many Deadly Shootings
Active-shooter episode
White-extremist shooter
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Oak Creek, Wis.
Isla Vista, Calif.
Charleston, S.C.
Parkland, Fla.
Pittsburgh
El Paso
Active-shooter episode
White-extremist shooter
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Parkland, Fla.
Pittsburgh
Oak Creek, Wis.
Isla Vista, Calif.
Charleston, S.C.
El Paso
Active-shooter episode
White-extremist shooter
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Parkland, Fla.
El Paso
Charleston, S.C.
Active-shooter episode
White-extremist shooter
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Parkland, Fla.
Pittsburgh
El Paso
Active-shooter episode
White-extremist shooter
’11
’12
’13
’14
’15
’16
’17
’18
’19
Parkland, Fla.
El Paso
White extremist ideology has been linked to some of the deadliest active-shooter episodes in the United States in recent years, showing the potential for intense violence among adherents who congregate online to cheer on racist attacks.
The suspect in the shooting rampage on Saturday at a Walmart store in El Paso was the latest to promote his ideology with an anti-immigrant manifesto posted minutes before he opened fire, killing 22 and injuring dozens more.
Active-shooter episodes with ties to white extremism
Oak Creek,
Wis. 2012
Isla Vista,
Calif. 2014
Charleston,
S.C. 2015
Roseburg,
Ore. 2015
6 fatalities
9
10 total victims
9
Parkland,
Fla. 2018
Santa Fe,
Tex. 2018
Pittsburgh
2018
El Paso
2019
17
22 fatalities
34
46 total victims
Oak Creek,
Wis. 2012
Charleston,
S.C. 2015
6
Parkland,
Fla. 2018
Pittsburgh
2018
El Paso
2019
10
17
22 fatalities
34
46 total victims
Oak Creek,
Wis. 2012
Isla Vista,
Calif. 2014
Charleston,
S.C. 2015
Roseburg,
Ore. 2015
6 fatalities
9
9
10 total victims
Parkland,
Fla. 2018
Santa Fe,
Tex. 2018
Pittsburgh
2018
El Paso
2019
17
22 fatalities
46 total victims
34
In the document, the suspect said he supported the actions of another gunman who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, this year. A man who opened fire at a California synagogue in April expressed similar sentiments, also in an online manifesto.
Both episodes highlight the growing international connections among white extremists, as well as a shift in what drives American mass shootings.
Global connections
A number of deadly white extremist shootings in the United States have been linked to similar white extremist attacks overseas. Circles show the number of people killed in all those shootings, and red circles and lines show connections from later attackers to the earlier attackers who influenced them.
El Paso
Killed 22
Both the El Paso and Poway gunmen praised the Christchurch shooter in manifestos posted online.
Poway, Calif.,
synagogue
Killed 1
2019
Christchurch,
New Zealand mosque
Killed 51
Tallahassee, Fla.
Killed 2
Pittsburgh
synagogue
Killed 11
2018
Aztec, N.M., high school
Killed 2
2017
The shooter named previous attackers as influences.
Quebec City mosque
Killed 6
Munich mall
Killed 9
2016
Roseburg, Ore.,
community college
Killed 9
2015
Charleston, S.C., church
Killed 9
Three killers made
statements online
supporting the Isla
Vista attacker.
2014
Isla Vista, Calif.,
Killed 6
Overland Park, Kan., Jewish community center
Killed 3
2013
Oak Creek, Wis.,
Sikh temple
Killed 6
2012
Norway attacks
Killed 77
2011
El Paso
Killed 22
Both the El Paso and Poway gunmen praised the Christchurch shooter in manifestos posted online.
Poway, Calif., synagogue
Killed 1
2019
Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque
Killed 51
Tallahassee, Fla.
Killed 2
Pittsburgh synagogue
Killed 11
2018
The Christchurch shooter
said he was inspired by
the Norway attacker.
Aztec, N.M., high school
Killed 2
2017
These two shooters
corresponded directly.
Quebec City mosque
Killed 6
Munich mall
Killed 9
2016
Roseburg, Ore.,
community college
Killed 9
2015
Charleston, S.C., church
Killed 9
Three killers made statements online supporting the Isla Vista attacker.
2014
Isla Vista, Calif.
Killed 6
Overland Park, Kan.,
Jewish community center
Killed 3
2013
Oak Creek, Wis., Sikh temple
Killed 6
2012
Norway attacks
Killed 77
2011
Both the El Paso and Poway gunmen praised the Christchurch shooter in manifestos posted online.
El Paso
Killed 22
Poway, Calif.
Killed 1
2019
Christchurch
Killed 51
Tallahassee, Fla.
Killed 2
Pittsburgh
Killed 11
2018
Aztec, N.M.
Killed 2
2017
These two shooters
corresponded directly.
Quebec City
Killed 6
Munich
Killed 9
2016
Roseburg, Ore.
Killed 9
2015
Charleston, S.C.
Killed 9
2014
Isla Vista, Calif.
Killed 6
Overland
Park, Kan.
Killed 3
2013
Oak Creek, Wis.
Killed 6
2012
Norway attacks
Killed 77
2011
Since 2011, suspects with ties to white extremism have carried out at least 17 active-shooter attacks, according to an analysis of F.B.I. and other data. The agency describes an active shooter as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.”
A growing list of attacks
White extremist assailants have opened fire at schools, at synagogues and at places of business. All but two of these attacks since 2011 proved fatal, but the El Paso shooting has been the deadliest so far.
Date |
Location |
Description |
Fatalities |
Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Aug. 3, 2019 |
El Paso, Tex. |
The police confirmed that the suspect wrote an anti-immigrant manifesto saying he supported the gunman who killed 51 people in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March. |
22 |
24 |
Apr. 27, 2019 |
Poway, Calif. |
The suspect posted a manifesto that criticized Jews and referred to the Christchurch shootings. |
1 |
3 |
Nov. 2, 2018 |
Tallahassee, Fla. |
In YouTube videos, the gunman ranted against interracial couples, racial diversity and illegal immigration. |
2 |
5 |
Oct. 27, 2018 |
Pittsburgh |
The suspect posted his hatred on Gab, a haven for white nationalists, neo-Nazis and other extremists. |
11 |
6 |
Oct. 24, 2018 |
Jeffersontown, Ky. |
The suspect was charged with hate crimes in the killing of two black people at a Kroger grocery store. He was seen trying to enter a black church minutes before moving on to the supermarket. |
2 |
0 |
May 18, 2018 |
Santa Fe, Tex. |
The suspect’s internet postings included an image of his coat with a Nazi iron cross. |
10 |
12 |
Feb. 14, 2018 |
Parkland, Fla. |
The gunman was known to use phrases such as "white power" and etched swastikas into some of the ammunition magazines used in the shooting. |
17 |
17 |
Dec. 7, 2017 |
Aztec, N.M. |
The gunman posted violent and racist rants to white nationalist websites and corresponded with a gunman who attacked a mall in Munich. |
2 |
0 |
Nov. 1, 2017 |
Thorton, Colo. |
Neighbors described the suspect as “verbally abusive” toward Hispanics. |
3 |
0 |
Sep. 26, 2016 |
Houston, Tex. |
The suspect was wearing military-style clothing with Nazi emblems. |
0 |
9 |
Oct. 1, 2015 |
Roseburg, Ore. |
The gunman's manifesto and online postings revealed a fixation on mass shootings as well as misogynist and white supremacist ideologies. |
9 |
7 |
July 23, 2015 |
Lafayette, La. |
The gunman praised anti-gay and anti-Semitic figures on messaging boards and social media. |
2 |
9 |
June 17, 2015 |
Charleston, S.C. |
The gunman killed nine black churchgoers during a prayer service after posting a racist manifesto. |
9 |
0 |
Nov. 28, 2014 |
Austin, Tex. |
The Austin police department described the gunman's links to a radical anti-immigrant Christian group. |
0 |
0 |
May 23, 2014 |
Isla Vista, Calif. |
The gunman wrote a manifesto describing his hatred for minorities and interracial couples. |
6 |
14 |
Apr. 13, 2014 |
Overland Park, Kan. |
The gunman founded the Carolina Knights, a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, and used anti-Semitic language in earlier political campaigns. |
3 |
0 |
Aug. 5, 2012 |
Oak Creek, Wis. |
The gunman was a member of several neo-Nazi music groups, which he promoted on white nationalist websites. |
6 |
4 |