The deadliest school massacres in American history

Before the latest shooting at a high school in Georgia, the United States had already witnessed a series of brutal gun-related rampages.

WORLD SEPTEMBER 5. 2024 13:12

On Wednesday morning, a gunman on a rampage killed at least four people and wounded dozens more when he opened fire at a high school in Georgia, USA. This incident echoes a similar tragedy from 1927, when an assailant detonated a bomb at a school building in Bath Township, Michigan, killing forty-four people and injuring fifty-eight.

Andrew Kehoe, 55, sought to end his life by taking others with him. Working as an electrician at the school, he had the means to undermine the building discreetly. After killing his critically ill wife and setting fire to his farm, Kehoe planted timed explosive devices under both the north and south wings of the school. Half an hour later, he arrived at the school in a truck loaded with explosives and blew himself up.


On 1 August, 1966, 25-year-old Charles Whitman took an elevator to the top floor of the 27-story main building at the University of Texas and indiscriminately fired several guns for 90 minutes before being shot dead by police.

The rampage resulted in 15 deaths and 32 injuries.

Whitman, a former Marine and university student from 1961 to 1963, had lost his scholarship. It was later revealed that he had sought professional help for his mental health issues, as he struggled to control violent fantasies. An autopsy showed a brain tumor, though experts remain divided on whether it contributed to his mental breakdown.

On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza attacked his former primary school, targeting children as young as six. Although Lanza had received treatment for mental health issues, he had never exhibited violent tendencies, and the motives behind his actions remain unclear.

He murdered 15 people and severely injured dozens more, some of whom will bear scars for life. Lanza first killed his 52-year-old mother, a gun enthusiast who regularly took him to the shooting range, and then proceeded to the school. He killed his victims in minutes, with first-grade children hiding under desks, offering little protection. After exhausting one classroom, Lanza moved to another, where he shot dead a teacher who had tried to shield her students. He then took his own life.

On October 1, 2015, 26-year-old Christopher Harper-Mercer entered a classroom at his college with two guns, killing nine people and injuring many more. Harper-Mercer, a student at the institution, knew his victims well. The police were alerted by shots fired from a neighbouring hall.

Minutes later, they arrived, leading to a shootout in the corridor. Harper-Mercer, seriously wounded, retreated to a classroom and shot himself in the head. Living with his mother and owning 14 firearms, he was a regular at a nearby shooting range. Harper-Mercer struggled with fitting in and academic performance at college, and his suspicious obsession with mass murder was noted with concern.

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