Crime

Pattern Shows Mass Shooters Are Trending Younger

While the U.S. used to see mass shooting suspects usually in their 20's or 40's, recent mass shootings have been carried out by 18-year-old males.

Pattern Shows Mass Shooters Are Trending Younger
Jae C. Hong / AP
SMS

Last week in Uvalde, Texas, 21 people were shot dead at an elementary school. And before that, 10 were killed at a local supermarket in Buffalo, New York. Both of the alleged shooters were 18 years old ¬— which is part of a growing trend in recent years. 

Six of the nine deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history since 2018 were by people who were 21 or younger. This represents a dramatic shift in the trend that used to see mass shooting suspects usually in their 20's or 40's. 

American social psychologist Francis T. McAndrew joins Newsy to explore the emerging pattern of teenage mass shooters.