Endless tragedies of mass shootings in American universities

On Thursday, a shooting at the University of Florida campus resulted in two deaths and four injuries. According to U.S. authorities, the victims were not students. American media reports indicate that the shooter, Phoenix Eikner, a 20-year-old son of a Leon County deputy sheriff, acted alone, and his motive remains unclear.

Mass shootings in educational institutions across the U.S., including schools, colleges, and universities, have become recurring tragedies in recent years.

Thursday’s incident marked the second shooting at the University of Florida in the past 11 years. Below is a list of the deadliest shootings that have occurred at U.S. academic institutions:

• In February 2023, Michigan State University experienced a shooting by a 43-year-old man, resulting in three deaths and five injuries. The shooter fled the scene and later committed suicide during a confrontation with police.
• The University of Nevada in December 2023 was the site of a shooting that left three dead, all of whom were university professors. The shooter, a former business professor, carried out the attack after his teaching applications were rejected. He was killed by police outside the university building.
• In November 2022, a mass shooting at the University of Virginia resulted in three deaths and two injuries. A 12-hour campus lockdown led to the suspect’s arrest. The shooter, who confessed to first-degree murder and other charges, awaits sentencing.
• Northern Arizona University in October 2015 became the site of a shooting that left one dead and three injured. This was the first fatal shooting since the university’s founding in 1899. The shooter later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.
• Umpqua Community College in October 2015 witnessed one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. universities, with nine people killed. The 26-year-old shooter killed a professor and eight classmates in a writing class. Nine others were injured. The shooter subsequently committed suicide.
• In May 2014, a shooting at the University of California left six dead. The 22-year-old student shooter, after using a firearm and a knife to kill and injure others, took his own life.
• Santa Monica College in June 2013 saw six people killed in a shooting. The 23-year-old shooter, who had engaged in domestic violence, carried out the attack and was killed by police in the library.
• In April 2012, Oikos University experienced a shooting that left seven dead. The shooter, a former nursing student, was sentenced to seven life terms and died in prison in 2019.
• A shooting at Northern Illinois University in February 2008 resulted in five deaths. The 27-year-old former student shooter killed five and injured 20 before committing suicide.
• In April 2007, Virginia Tech witnessed a shooting that left 32 dead. A 23-year-old student carried out the deadliest shooting at a U.S. college in Blacksburg, Virginia, killing 32 people and injuring over 22 others before taking his own life.
• A shooting at the University of Texas in August 1966 resulted in 13 deaths. A Marine-trained sniper fired from the top of a 27-story clock tower in the heart of the Austin campus, in one of the first mass shootings in the U.S. He killed 13 and injured over 30 before being killed by police.