IncidenT
The pandemic has seen a significant shift in crime trends in the United States. Homicides across major cities increased significantly in 2020 and through 2021; however, public mass shootings were effectively paused by the pandemic as schools closed, work places emptied, and public spaces became less crowded.
According to the NY Times, this one-year "moratorium" on mass shootings ended last week in Atlanta, GA when a lone gunman shot and killed eight people at a series of spas, including six women of Asian descent.This targeted killing spree was followed by a mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, CO earlier in the week. A 21-year-old shot and killed ten people, including a police officer. These mass shootings, like others before them in the U.S., bring up questions around gun control, mental health, racism, and misogyny.
Key Takeaways
- As the U.S. vaccinates its population and slowly comes out of the pandemic and associated lockdowns and restrictions, we could see a return to mass casualty incidents at a similar pace to 2019 and 2018.
- In 2019 and 2018, there were 19 mass shootings where four or more people were killed in a public setting. Notably, in 2018, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida shot and killed 17 people and injured 17 others. In 2019, a gunman targeted Latinos at a Walmart in El-Paso, TX, killing 22 people.
- The pause in mass shootings in the U.S. through most of 2020 reflected a similar lull in terrorist attacks and mass casualty incidents abroad as travel halted and borders closed. These incidents could pick back up as the world opens and border and travel restrictions are lifted.
Standing by to Support
Global Guardian routinely provides clients with training on active shooter incidents or other emergency situations and we currently provide security support across a variety of sectors to include tech, asset management, real estate, financial, banking, private investment.
We are conducting physical security assessments, custom intelligence, intelligence-driven risk-based consulting, enhanced physical protection solutions, and remote monitoring at properties and facilities across the United States and the world.
