The rate of hospital-based shootings in the U.S. has grown steadily since 2012, with researchers warning that nearly a third of incidents could be prevented with weapons screening, according to a study published May 4 in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic conducted a systematic review of acute care hospital shooting events in the U.S. from 2012 through 2024, incorporating previously published data from 2000 to 2011 to assess trends over a 25-year span. Events were identified through news database searches and the Gun Violence Archive, and were included only if they resulted in at least one injury and occurred within or on the immediate property of a hospital.
Nine study findings:
- The prevalence of shootings increased about 8.4% annually from 14 shootings in 2012 to 34 in 2024.
- Overall, researchers identified 327 shooting events over this time period, up from the 154 events previously reported between 2000 and 2011.
- The most common locations for incidents were parking lots and outdoor sites (45.6%), followed by hospital floors (18%) and emergency departments (17.7%).
- Current or former patients made up the largest identifiable group of perpetrators at 31.8%.
- About 31.2% of all injured individuals were hospital staff, followed by patients and police law enforcement officers at 12.7% each.
- Ninety-six percent of shootings occurred at hospitals in urban settings, and 49% were in the South.
- Large hospitals — those with 400 or more beds — recorded the highest rate at 258.1 events per 1,000 hospitals, though medium-sized facilities (100–399 beds) accounted for the largest share of total events (49.8%).
- Suicide was the most common identifiable motive (30.9%), followed by mental instability (15.6%) and personal grudges (11.6%).
- Researchers determined about 32% of shootings could have potentially been prevented with weapons screening technology, such as magnetometers or passive weapons detectors.
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