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Number of school shootings briefly drop amid COVID-19 pandemic

School shootings all but stopped in 2020 but built right back up in 2021

Students hug at a memorial at Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Authorities say a 15-year-old sophomore opened fire at Oxford High School, killing four students and wounding seven other people on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (Paul Sancya, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Ask most people about how life has changed during the last 21 months and very few would point out anything positive.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on many lives. Businesses closed, people lost their jobs, and for some who kept their jobs, there was suddenly the challenge of working from home and helping your children with school.

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An unintended consequence of remote learning ended up being with more students staying away from school campuses, there was a drop in fatal school shootings.

How much?

Well for one year, it was dramatic, but as society returned to the “new normal” and children went back to school, the respite was brief, and we mostly picked up where we left off.

Look at the infographic below for a history of fatal school shootings over the past six decades. Note how they all but stopped in 2020 but built right back up in 2021.


About the Author

Donovan is now a reporter at WKMG-TV.

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