List of school massacres by death toll
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This is an arbitrary list of select school massacres by death toll.
Footnotes for the main table
The # symbol indicates the massacre's ranking by number of deaths (since this list is sorted by death toll, not by date or by number of overall casualties).
The Weapons column gives a basic description of the weapons used:
- F – Firearms and other ranged weapons. This primarily includes rifles and handguns, but also bows and crossbows, grenade launchers, flamethrowers, or slingshots.
- M – Melee weapons, like knives, swords, spears, machetes, axes, clubs, rods, rocks, or bare hands.
- O – Any other weapons, such as bombs, hand grenades, Molotov cocktails, poison and poisonous gas, as well as vehicle and arson attacks.
- A – indicates that fire was the only other weapon used
- V – indicates that a vehicle was the only other weapon used
- E – indicates that explosives of any sort were the only other weapon used
Notes
- At least one of the victims was a relative of the assailant.
Rampage killers
This is a list of mass/spree killers who attacked schools. A mass murderer is typically defined as someone who kills three or more people in one incident, with no "cooling off" period.[100][101] A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more persons kill several others.[102][103][104]
This list does not include serial killers, members of democidal governments, or major political figures who orchestrated such actions.
| Perpetrator | Date | Year | Location | Country | Killed | Injured | W | Additional Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opiyo, Davis Onyango, 16 | March 25 | 2001 | Machakos County |  Kenya |
67 |
18 |
A | Both arrested and charged | |
| Kehoe, Andrew Philip, 55[a] | May 18 | 1927 | Bath Township, Michigan |  United States | 45 | 57 | FME | Committed suicide Also killed numerous animals One victim succumbed to injuries |
|
| Li Chuicai, 32 (李垂才) |
March 6 | 2001 | Fanglin Village, Wanzai County, Jiangxi |  China |
41 |
27 |
EO | Committed suicide | |
| Khamrab, Panya, 34 (ปัญญา คำราบ)[a] | Oct 6 | 2022 | Na Klang |  Thailand | 36 | 10 | FMV | Committed suicide | |
| Cho, Seung-Hui, 23 (조승희) | April 16 | 2007 | Blacksburg, Virginia |  United States | 32 | 17 | F | Committed suicide Six more people were injured by jumping out of windows as they escape from the perpetrator | |
| Lanza, Adam Peter, 20[a] | Dec 14 | 2012 | Newtown, Connecticut | United States | 27 | 2 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Unknown | May 25 | 1982 | Aire-sur-l'Adour |  France |
24 |
? |
A | Unsolved | [105] |
| Muhammad Adli Shah Bin Mohd Yusry, 16 | Sep 14 | 2017 | Kuala Lumpur |  Malaysia |
23 |
5 |
A | Convicted and sentenced to detention at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong | [106] |
| Tatarnikov, Vladimir Georgievich, 29 | Apr 4 | 1950 | Gîsca |  Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic |
23 |
? |
E | Died in the blast | |
| Ramos, Salvador Rolando, 18[a] | May 24 | 2022 | Uvalde, Texas | United States | 21 | 18 | F | Killed by police Three more were injured by police | |
| Patrick, 14
Marc, 14 |
Feb 6 | 1973 | Paris | France |
21 |
? |
A | Patrick sentenced to five years in prison; Marc sentenced to four | |
| Roslyakov, Vladislav Igorevich, 18 (Росляков, Владислав Игоревич) | Oct 17 | 2018 | Kerch | 20 | 73 | F E | Committed suicide | ||
| Unnamed student, 15 | May 21 | 2023 | Mahdia |  Guyana |
20 |
29 |
A | Arrested and charged with 20 counts of murder | |
| Kazantsev, Artyom Igorevich, 34 (Казанцев, Артём Игоревич) | Sep 26 | 2022 | Izhevsk |  Russia | 18 | 23 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Cruz, Nikolas Jacob, 19 | Feb 14 | 2018 | Parkland, Florida | United States | 17 | 18 | F | Sentenced to life imprisonment | |
| Hamilton, Thomas Watt, 43 | March 13 | 1996 | Dunblane |  United Kingdom | 17 | 15 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Whitman, Charles Joseph, 25[a] | Aug 1 | 1966 | Austin, Texas | United States | 16 | 31 | FM | Killed by police Terminated a pregnancy One of the victims died in 2001; attributed to this event One more was injured while fleeing | |
| Kozák, David, 24[a] | Dec 16–21 | 2023 | Prague |  Czech Republic | 16 | 25 | F | Committed suicide
One more died indirectly. |
|
| Steinhäuser, Robert, 19 | April 26 | 2002 | Erfurt |  Germany | 16 | 1 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Kretschmer, Tim, 17 | March 11 | 2009 | Winnenden and Wendlingen | Germany | 15 | 9 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Harris, Eric David, 18 Klebold, Dylan Bennet, 17 | April 20 | 1999 | Columbine, Colorado | United States | 14 | 20 | F O | Both committed suicide. One of the victims died in 2025; attributed to this event | |
| Lépine, Marc, 25 | Dec 6 | 1989 | Montreal, QC |  Canada | 14 | 14 | FM | Committed suicide | |
| Soares dos Santos, Damião, 50 | Oct 5 | 2017 | Janaúba |  Brazil |
13 |
37 |
A | Committed suicide | |
| Menezes de Oliveira, Wellington, 23 | April 7 | 2011 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 12 | 22 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Gadirov, Farda, 28 | April 30 | 2009 | Baku |  Azerbaijan | 12 | 13 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Bai Ningyang, 18 (白宁阳) | May 8 | 2006 | Shiguan | China | 12 | 5 | MA | Sentenced to death and executed | |
| Seifert, Willi Walter, 42 | June 11 | 1964 | Cologne | West Germany | 10 | 22 | FM | Committed suicide | |
| Pagourtzis, Dimitrios, 17 (accused) | May 18 | 2018 | Santa Fe, Texas | United States | 10 | 13 | F | Arrested | |
| Mersinli, İsa Aras, 13 | April 15 | 2026 | Onikişubat |  Turkey | 10 | 12 | F | Killed | |
| Achleitner, Arthur, 21 | June 10 | 2025 | Graz |  Austria |
10 |
11 |
F | Committed suicide | |
| Kecmanović, Kosta, 13 | May 3 | 2023 | Belgrade |  Serbia | 10 | 6 | F | Arrested | [24][25] |
| Andersson, Rickard, 35 | Feb 4 | 2025 | Örebro |  Sweden | 10 | 6 | F A | Committed suicide | |
| Saari, Matti Juhani, 22 | Sep 23 | 2008 | Kauhajoki |  Finland | 10 | 1 | F A | Committed suicide Ten more were injured while fleeing | |
| Galyaviev, Ilnaz Rinatovich, 19 (Галявиев, Ильназ Ринатович) | May 11 | 2021 | Kazan | Russia | 9 | 23 | F E | Sentenced to life imprisonment Twenty-four more were injured while fleeing | |
| Zhao Zewei, 28 (赵泽伟) | April 27 | 2018 | Yulin | China | 9 | 12 | M | Sentenced to death and executed | [107] |
| Wu Huanming, 47 (吴焕明) | May 12 | 2010 | Linchang | China | 9 | 11 | M | Committed suicide | |
| Weise, Jeffrey James, 16[a] | March 21 | 2005 | Red Lake, Minnesota | United States | 9 | 9 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Harper-Mercer, Christopher Sean, 26 | Oct 1 | 2015 | Roseburg, Oregon | United States | 9 | 8 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Yan, Yanming, 21 (闫彦明) | Nov 26 | 2004 | Ruzhou | China | 9 | 3 | M | Sentenced to death and executed | [33] |
| Van Rootselaar, Jesse, 18 | Feb 10 | 2026 | Tumbler Ridge, BC | Canada | 8 | 27 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Xu, Jiajin, 21 | Nov 16 | 2024 | Yixing | China | 8 | 17 | M | Arrested | |
| Takuma, Mamoru, 37 (宅間守) | June 8 | 2001 | Ikeda, Osaka |  Japan | 8 | 15 | M | Sentenced to death and executed | |
| Ala Hisham Abu Dheim, 26 (علاء هاشم أبو دهيم) | March 6 | 2008 | Jerusalem |  Israel | 8 | 11 | F | Killed by soldiers | |
| Henrique de Castro, Luiz, 25 Taucci Monteiro, Guilherme, 17[a] | March 13 | 2019 | Suzano | Brazil | 8 | 11 | FM | Henrique killed by Taucci Taucci committed suicide | |
| Donchev, Branimir Delchev, 17 (Дончев, Бранимир Делчев) | Dec 24 | 1974 | Durvenitsa |  Bulgaria | 8 | 8 | FM | Incarcerated in a mental facility. Later shot and killed by officers in an escape attempt | [36] |
| Zheng Minsheng, 41 (郑民生) | March 23 | 2010 | Nanping | China | 8 | 5 | M | Sentenced to death and executed | [108] |
| Yu Hua, 40 (於華) | Sep 2 | 2019 | Baiyangping | China | 8 | 2 | M | Sentenced to death and executed | [109] |
| Auvinen, Pekka-Eric, 18 | Nov 7 | 2007 | Jokela | Finland | 8 | 1 | F A | Committed suicide Twelve more were injured while fleeing | |
| Merah, Mohammed, 23
(محمد مراح) |
March 11–22 | 2012 | Toulouse & Montauban | France |
7 |
11 |
F | Killed by police Four were killed and four were injured at the school |
|
| Mikhail Tselousov (Целоусов, Михаил), 24 | Feb 11 | 1958 | Lyamino, Perm Krai |  Soviet Union |
7 |
6 |
F | Sentenced to death and executed | [43][44] |
| U Win-maung | March 26 | 1975 | Kachin |  Burma | 7 | 5 | M | Killed by police | [46] |
| Wang Xiangjun (王湘军) | April 1 | 1996 | Meitian | China | 7 | 5 | M | Arrested | [47] |
| Goh, One L., 43 | April 2 | 2012 | Oakland, California | United States | 7 | 3 | F | Sentenced to life imprisonment | |
| Bekmansurov, Timur Maratovich, 18 (Бекмансуров, Тимур Маратович) | Sep 20 | 2021 | Perm | Russia | 6 | 23 | F | Sentenced to life imprisonment | |
| Lee Chi Hang, 28[a] (李志衡) | June 3 | 1982 | Sham Shui Po |  Hong Kong | 6 | 37 | M | Found not guilty by reason of insanity | |
| Mohammed Ahmad Misleh al-Nazari, 48 | March 30 | 1997 | Sana'a |  Yemen | 6 | 12 | F | Sentenced to death and executed | [110] |
| Roberts, Charles Carl, 32 | Oct 2 | 2006 | Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania | United States | 6 | 4 | F | Committed suicide one of the victims died in 2024; attributed to this event | |
| Fedorenko, Anatoly (Федоренко, Анатолий) | May 19 | 1977 | Leningrad | Soviet Union | 6 | 2 | F | Sentenced to death and executed | [111] |
| Lepnev, Sergei, 18 (Лепнев, Сергей) | March 9 | 1997 | Kamyshin | Russia | 6 | 2 | F | Sentenced to death, later changed to life imprisonment, later changed to 25 years in prison | [112] |
| Wu Moujie, 25 (吴某杰) | July 10 | 2023 | Lianjiang, Guangdong | China | 6 | 1 | M | Arrested | [113] |
| Hale, Aiden, 28 | March 27 | 2023 | Nashville, Tennessee | United States | 6 | 1 | F | Killed by police
One more was injured indirectly |
|
| Purdy, Patrick Edward, 24 | Jan 17 | 1989 | Stockton, California | United States | 5 | 32 | F A | Committed suicide | |
| Mohammed Fathi Farhat, 17 (محمد فتحي فرحات) | March 7 | 2002 | Gush Katif, Gaza Strip |  Palestine | 5 | 23 | F E | Killed by soldiers | [114] |
| Kazmierczak, Steven Phillip, 27 | Feb 14 | 2008 | DeKalb, Illinois | United States | 5 | 17 | F | Committed suicide | |
| Charva, Karel, 34 | June 3 | 1983 | Eppstein | West Germany | 5 | 14 | F | Committed suicide | [115] |
| Golden, Andrew Douglas, 11 Johnson, Mitchell Scott, 13 | March 24 | 1998 | Jonesboro, Arkansas | United States | 5 | 10 | F | Both were imprisoned until their 21st birthday | |
| Fontaine, Randan Dakota, 17[a] | Jan 22 | 2016 | La Loche, SK | Canada | 5 | 6 | F | Sentenced to life imprisonment One of the victims died in 2023; attributed to this event | |
| Smith, Robert Benjamin, 18 | Nov 12 | 1966 | Mesa, Arizona | United States |
5 |
2 |
MF | Sentenced to life imprisonment | |
| Kipper Mai, Fabiano, 18 | May 4 | 2021 | Saudades | Brazil |
5 |
1 |
M | Sentenced to 329 years and 4 months in prison | |
| Spencer, Verlin, 37 | May 6 | 1940 | South Pasadena, California | United States |
5 |
1 |
F | Sentenced to life imprisonment | [69] |
| Kinkel, Kipland Philip, 15[a] | May 20/21 | 1998 | Springfield, Oregon | United States | 4 | 25 | F | Sentenced to 111 years in prison | [116] |
| Schmidt, Heinz Jakob Friedrich Ernst, 29 | June 20 | 1913 | Bremen |  Germany | 4 | 21 | F | Found not guilty by reason of insanity One more died trying to escape | |
| Rodrigues Castiglioni, Gabriel, 16 | Nov 25 | 2022 | Aracruz | Brazil | 4 | 12 | F | Sentenced to 3 years' preventative detention Released in 2025 | |
| Liu Hongwen, 28 (刘红文) | Sep 30 | 2004 | Linwu County | China | 4 | 12 | M | Found not guilty by reason of insanity | [117] |
| De Gelder, Kim, 20 | Jan 16/23 | 2009 | Vrasene and Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde |  Belgium | 4 | 12 | M | Sentenced to life imprisonment | |
| Houston, Eric Christopher, 20 | May 1 | 1992 | Olivehurst, California | United States | 4 | 10 | F | Sentenced to death | |
| Gray, Colt, 14 (accused) | Sep 4 | 2024 | Winder, Georgia | United States | 4 | 7 | F | Arrested | [76] |
| Crumbley, Ethan Robert, 15 | Nov 30 | 2021 | Oxford Township, Michigan | United States | 4 | 7 | F | Sentenced to life imprisonment | |
| Henrique de Lima, Luiz, 25 | April 5 | 2023 | Blumenau | Brazil |
4 |
5 |
M | Sentenced to 220 years in prison | |
| Bayar, Volkan, 37 | April 5 | 2018 | Eskişehir | Turkey |
4 |
3 |
F | Sentenced to life imprisonment | [118] |
| Koryakov, Alexander, 19 | Feb 22 | 1999 | Gulbene |  Latvia |
4 |
1 |
M | Sentenced to life imprisonment | |
| Fang Jiantang, 26 (方建堂) | Aug 3 | 2010 | Zibo | China | 3–5 | 6–20 | M | Sentenced to death and executed | [119] |
| Riffo Sandoval, María Jesús, 48 | Oct 8 | 1975 | Angol |  Chile |
3 |
40 |
P | Sentenced to 20 years in prison | [120] |
| Wu Yechang, 25 (吴业昌) | Sep 21 | 2012 | Pingnan County | China | 3 | 13 | M | Sentenced to death and executed | [121] |
| Barbaro, Anthony F., 17 | Dec 30 | 1974 | Olean, New York | United States | 3 | 11 | F E | Committed suicide while awaiting trial | |
| Ławrynowicz, Stanisław, 22 Obrapalski, Janusz, 21 | May 6 | 1925 | Wilno/Vilnius |  Poland (current day Lithuania) | 3 | 9 | F E | Both committed suicide | |
| Neves-Valente, Claudio Manuel, 48 | Dec 13/15 | 2025 | Providence, Rhode Island and Brookline, Massachusetts | United States |
3 |
9 |
F | Committed Suicide | [122] |
| Solich, Rafael, 15 | Sep 28 | 2004 | Carmen de Patagones |  Argentina |
3 |
5 |
F | Declared too young to be prosecuted | |
| Bishop, Amy, 44 | Feb 12 | 2010 | Huntsville, Alabama | United States |
3 |
3 |
F | Sentenced to life imprisonment | |
| Lundin Petterson, Anton Niclas, 21 | Oct 22 | 2015 | Trollhättan | Sweden |
3 |
2 |
M | Killed by police | |
| Labus, Adam, 22 | Feb 19 | 2002 | Freising | Germany |
3 |
1 |
F | Committed suicide. | [123] |
| Galaviz, Gabriel Alejandro, 20 | March 6 | 2024 | Guadalajara |  Mexico |
3 |
1 |
M | Later died by suicide while awaiting trial. | [124] |
| Arancibia Navarro, Iván Jesus, 47[a] | Dec 17 | 1999 | Valparaíso | Chile |
3 |
0 |
F | Also attempted suicide. Found not guilty by reason of insanity. | |
| Flores, Robert Stewart Jr., 41 | Oct 28 | 2002 | Tucson, Arizona | United States |
3 |
0 |
F | Committed suicide. | |
| Vukalić, Mehmed, 50 | Aug 21 | 2024 | Sanski Most |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
3 |
0 |
F | Also attempted suicide. |
Abbreviations and footnotes
- At least one of the victims was a relative of the assailant.
The W-column gives a basic description of the weapons used in the murders
- F – Firearms and other ranged weapons, especially rifles and handguns, but also bows and crossbows, grenade launchers, flamethrowers, or slingshot
- M – Melee weapons, like knives, swords, spears, machetes, axes, clubs, rods, rocks, or bare hands
- O – Any other weapons, such as bombs, hand grenades, Molotov cocktails, poison and poisonous gas, as well as vehicle and arson attacks
- A – indicates that an arson attack was the only other weapon used
- V – indicates that a vehicle was the only other weapon used
- E – indicates that explosives of any sort were the only other weapon used
- P – indicates that an anaesthetising or deadly substance of any kind was the only other weapon used (includes poisonous gas)
