Hospital-based shootings across the U.S. have “increased steadily” over the past 25 years, a new study published in JAMA Network Open found.
Between 2000 and 2024, shootings increased from six to 34 per year—or a 6.4% increase per year. And, from 2012 to 2024, incidents rose 8.4% year-over-year from 14 to 34 shootings.
Mayo Clinic researchers analyzed 6,658 news articles across 47 states between 2012 and 2024, reviewing 327 articles on unique hospital-based shooting events. To meet the criteria, incidents had to involve at least one injured person and occur within or on the immediate property of a hospital. The study also analyzed previously published data on shootings from 2000 to 2024.
“We recognize that although hospital-related shootings constitute a small fraction of national firearm violence, their impact could be profound,” researchers wrote.
Previous studies conducted from 2000 to 2011 and 2012 to 2016 identified a “rising incidence” of hospital-based shootings, researchers note, though there hasn’t been a “comprehensive updated analysis” on the topic.
The most common shooting locations were parking lots or outdoor sites (45.6%), hospital floors (18%) and emergency departments (17.7%).
Shootings most commonly took place in urban settings, larger hospitals and within the southern U.S. Nine hospitals experienced more than one shooting, including one location that experienced three separate incidents.
Researchers note the analysis found nearly one-third of shootings were potentially preventable by weapons screening technology. Consequently, the study says its results emphasize the need for hospital-specific prevention strategies and “broader societal and community efforts” to address increasing violence.
More than 44,000 people in the U.S. were killed by a firearm in 2024, an average of 122 deaths per day, a gun violence prevention toolkit from Northwell Health notes, citing U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wonder data. And, firearm deaths remain the leading cause of death among children and teens in the U.S.