Large-scale, high-profile shootings such as the horrific one that just happened in Las Vegas represent just a tiny fraction of the daily drumbeat of gun violence in the United States. This year close to 12,000 people have been killed in gun violence incidents, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization that tracks shootings via media and police reports.
That works out to around 42 victims of gun violence per day, a figure which does not include suicides.
Sunday alone there were at least 24 fatal shooting incidents in the United States, including the Las Vegas shooting, according to the Gun Violence Archive. That number doesn’t include suicides, and it doesn’t include shootings in which individuals were injured but not killed. It does include fatal shootings involving police officers, which are often determined to be justified after the fact.
It’s understandable that we focus on the major mass shooting events - the sheer scale of the horror is overwhelming. But day by day, week by week, the run-of-the-mill homicides that barely draw any attention account for the overwhelming share of American gun tragedies.
To get some sense of the scale of the violence, I’ve listed and described each of Sunday’s fatal shooting incidents, as tallied by the Gun Violence Archive, below.
Weber City, Va.: Todd Allen Richardson, 44, fatally shot his estranged wife after inviting her to his house to collect her belongings. He subsequently led police on a high-speed car chase, taking his own life at the end of it.
Milwaukee: Stanley Smith, 56, a father and grandfather, was killed by unknown assailants outside his home in the early hours of the morning.
Avondale, Ariz.: A man was fatally shot and a woman was wounded after an altercation between two groups of people in a parking lot.
Las Vegas: A person was shot and killed in a room of The Suites hotel in the early-morning hours.
Rochester, N.Y.: Shaquan McMillan, 23, was fatally shot in the chest outside of Abbott’s Frozen Custard in the early-morning hours.
Las Vegas: At least 59 people were killed and more than 500 injured after a gunman opened fire on a crowd of people attending a country music concert.
Miami: A man was shot and killed by police in the early morning hours after gunshots were reported outside Heads or Tails Gentleman’s Lounge.
Lawrence, Kan.: Three people were killed and two more wounded following an altercation downtown in the early-morning hours. The dead included 22-year-old Leah Elizabeth Brown, 20-year-old Colwin Lynn Henderson, and 24-year-old Tremel Dupree Dean.
Chicago: About 10:30 in the morning, a 28-year-old man was killed and a woman with him was injured after another man walked up to them and opened fire.
Kent, Wash.: Three men in their 20s were shot, one fatally, near a strip mall.
Indianapolis: A teenager was fatally shot about 4 a.m. after a family member mistook him for an intruder in the home.
Chester, Pa.: About 9:30 a.m., a man was found fatally shot in a home in Chester.
Tulsa: As a family prepared to leave their home, they were confronted by a lone person carrying a gun. The person fatally shot the father and fled on foot.
District Heights, Md.: A man in his 50s was found fatally shot in a home.
Norcorss, Ga.: Domiquo Riley, 19, was fatally shot outside a club in the early hours of the morning.
Houston: A cabdriver was shot to death outside a gas station in the early hours of the morning.
Fort Collins, Colo.: Police shot and killed an armed man at the Best Value Inn after responding to reports of shots fired.
Burlington, Iowa.: Marquise Jones, 27, was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop. Authorities say they recovered a handgun at the scene.
Parkton, S.C.: A man was shot and killed during an armed standoff with police officers.
Chicago: 22-year-old was found dead on a sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Augusta, Ga.: Darrell Brown, 8, was fatally shot by his uncle Sunday afternoon.
San Antonio: A man in his 20s was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting Sunday afternoon.
Baltimore: A 24-year-old man was fatally shot during an armed robbery in the early hours of the morning.
Baltimore: Another 24-year-old man was found fatally shot in the head on Myrtle Avenue about 8:30 a.m.