VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA (AFP) - Twelve people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a government building complex in the US state of Virginia on Friday (May 31).
Here are of some of some of the deadliest recent mass shootings in the United States:
Vegas concert in 2017: 58 killed
- A 64-year-old retired accountant shoots down from his hotel room at a crowd attending an outdoor country music concert on Oct 1, 2017, killing 58 people and wounding around 550 before committing suicide. It is the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
Florida club in 2016: 49 killed
- A heavily-armed gunman opens fire inside a gay nightclub in the city of Orlando on June 12, 2016, killing 49 people. The attacker is killed in a shootout with police. He pledges allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, which later claims responsibility.
Sandy Hook in 2012: 26 killed
- A 20-year-old man kills his mother in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012, before blasting his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and shooting dead 20 six- and seven-year old children and six adults. He commits suicide.
Texas church in 2017: 25 killed
- A 26-year-old man who was court-martialed while in the Air Force shoots dead 25 worshippers during Sunday services and wounds at least 20 others at a Baptist church in the small rural community of Sutherland Springs outside San Antonio, Texas, on Nov 5, 2017. The shooter flees and is later found dead in his car with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Florida high school in 2018: 17 dead
- A 19-year-old former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who was expelled for disciplinary reasons returns to the school in Parkland, Florida, and opens fire on Feb 14, 2018, killing 14 students and three adult staff members.
California office party in 2015: 14 dead
- A radicalised Muslim couple storm a Christmas office party at a social services centre in San Bernardino in December 2015 and gun down 14 people, wounding 22 others. They are shot dead by police.
California bar in 2018: 12 dead
- On Nov 7, 2018, a 28-year-old US Marine Corps combat veteran opens fire in a crowded country music bar in California, killing 12 people. The assailant, identified as Ian David Long, a troubled former machine gunner who served a tour in Afghanistan, dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Colorado cinema in 2012: 12 dead
- A young man wearing body armour opens fire in a movie theatre showing a late-night premiere of a Batman film in Aurora, Colorado, in July 2012. Twelve people are killed and 70 wounded. He is sentenced to life in prison.
Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018: 11 dead
- On Oct 27, 2018, a 46-year-old gunman bursts into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburg during Shabbat services, killing eleven people. He reportedly yells "All Jews must die!" during the attack. Robert Bowers, who was arrested at the shooting scene, is indicted on 29 counts, some of which carry the death penalty.
High school in Santa Fe in 2018: 10 dead
A 17-year-old student armed with a shotgun and a revolver opens fire just as classes are starting at his school in Santa Fe, Texas, on May 18, 2018, killing 10 people including eight students. The student, who authorities say used weapons legally owned by his father, is taken into custody on murder charges.
