Executive Summary

The safety and security of our communities remain the FBI’s highest priority.

We are dedicated to supporting our law enforcement partners, who are the first responders to active shooter incidents.

As we reflect on the past year and release the FBI’s 2025 annual active shooter report, it is clear that prevention begins long before an incident unfolds.

Continued research shows that tips to law enforcement are the most effective tool in preventing potential active shooter incidents.

Many shooters exhibit observable behaviors, which if recognized and reported, can lead to the disruption of a planned attack.

If you see something concerning, no matter how small it may seem, report it. Early intervention saves lives.

Active shooter incidents are a subset of gun violence characterized by an individual or individuals actively shooting or attempting to shoot people in a populated area.

Gun violence broadly encompasses all forms of harm involving firearms, such as homicides, gang and drug violence, accidental shootings, and domestic violence.

However, active shooter events are distinct due to their dynamic, public, and unpredictable nature. Understanding this difference is crucial for targeted prevention strategies to reduce active shooter incidents.

The FBI supports our law enforcement partners and communities through specialized training programs such as the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT), which equips law enforcement officers with critical skills for aggressively and effectively responding during active shooter situations.

Similarly, public education initiatives like the FBI’s Active Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness (ASAPP) course provide citizens with tools to develop plans and responses to active shooter situations, including strategies for when to “run, hide, fight.”

Throughout this report, numerous examples illustrate the individual bravery demonstrated by law enforcement officers, security personnel, and civilians who took action to stop or attempt to stop an attack.

While law enforcement response remains crucial to neutralizing threats, in 2025, civilian and security personnel interventions played a unique role in ending multiple incidents.

This report reflects the culmination of extensive research and collaboration aimed at identifying the patterns of active shooter incidents. By recognizing common factors and trends, the FBI seeks to enhance preparedness, improve training, and strengthen community resilience.

Nearly 68% of incidents (23) were intentionally planned by the shooter, up from 58% in 2024.

In 2025, the FBI identified 34 active shooter incidents nationwide, a 42% increase from the 24 incidents in the previous year.

The total number of casualties (166) also rose significantly, marking a 57% increase from the 106 casualties recorded in the previous year.

STATE: Active shooter incidents in 2025 occurred across 21 states and the District of Columbia with the most occurring in Texas (6).

MONTH: September had the highest number of incidents (7).

DAY: Active shooter incidents occurred every day of the week with the most occurring on Wednesdays (10).

CATEGORIES: Attacks occurred in five location categories:

41% - Commerce (14)

21% - Open space (7)

18% - Government (6)

12% - Education (4)

9% - House of Worship (3)

MULTIPLE SHOOTERS: No incident involved multiple shooters.

GENDER: All of the shooters were male.

AGE: The shooters’ ages ranged between 16 and 77 years old.

INSIDER THREATS: Seven shooters were considered insider threats.

FIREARMS: Across all attacks, 49 firearms were used: 26 handguns (53%), 16 rifles (33%) and seven shotguns (14%).

ARMOR: One shooter wore body armor.

RESOLUTIONS: Of the 34 shooters, 16 were apprehended by law enforcement (47%), 10 died by suicide (29%), and seven were killed by law enforcement or security personnel (21%).

At the time of publication, one shooter remains at large (3%).

KILLED AND WOUNDED: Among the 166 casualties, 51 were killed and 115 were wounded.

HIGHEST CASUALTY: The incident with the highest number of casualties (30) involved two killed and 28 wounded.

NO CASUALTIES: Three incidents did not have any casualties.

MASS KILLING INCIDENTS: Seven incidents were classified as mass killings.

LAW ENFORCEMENT: Law enforcement officers sustained casualties in six of the 34 active shooter incidents in 2025 with three officers killed and five wounded.

Percentages may not equal 100 due to rounding.

See the glossary for definition of mass killing.