FBI Says ‘Active Shooter’ Incidents on the Rise

(CN) - The number of incidents in which a shooter opens fire on a crowd of people more than doubled over the past seven years compared with the previous seven, according to an FBI study.

For the study the Federal Bureau of Investigation analyzed 160 "active shooter" incidents between 2000 and 2013 to look for common elements that might help law enforcement officers in prevent such incidents or responding to them more effectively when they do occur.

"During the first 7 years included in the study, an average of 6.4 incidents occurred annually," the report notes. "In the last 7 years ... that average increased to 16.4 incidents annually."

One such incident occurred in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday morning, just 24 hours before the FBI rolled out its findings.

In the Birmingham incident a former UPS employee shot and killed two other employees at a UPS facility in Birmingham, Ala., before turning the gun on himself.

According to Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper, the Birmingham Police Department received multiple calls concerning "an active shooter" at the UPS facility on Inglenook Lane at approximately 9:21 a.m.

"Patrol units responded quickly," Roper said to reporters after the incident. "They rallied up and made an entry into the building. They were able to clear the building, and of course, during the shooting, multiple employees exited the facility."

Upon entering the building, the officers located the three decedents, one of whom appeared to be the shooter.

"Officers, once they arrived and entered the building, located three deceased people in the business. It appears that it's the shooter, who is still wearing his UPS uniform, and two other employees," said Roper.

The department later identified the shooter as former UPS employee Kerry Joe Tesney.

The FBI hopes its comprehensive study will "benefit anyone who could potentially be in an active shooter situation - like emergency personnel, employees of retail corporations and other businesses, educators and students, government and military personnel, members of the general public, etc. - by giving them a better understanding of how these incidents play out," according to a written statement distributed as part of its release.

Bracingly, the study found that no state is immune to active-shooting incidents, and that they occur in every kind of community and in settings ranging from businesses and schools to hospitals and churches.

The FBI says during the study period there were 1,043 casualties in the 160 active shootings; an analysis of the numbers revealed that 468 people were killed, and 557 wounded.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit