With 49 fatalities, the mass shooting in New Zealand marks the joint seventh deadliest gun massacre worldwide and the largest in New Zealand history. Here are the other deadliest incidents of gun carnage since 2011:
1. Garissa University College Attack
Garissa, Kenya, April 2, 2015
Five gunman tied to al Shabab stormed Garissa University, opening fire on students. While over 500 students managed to escape, the gunman killed 148 people including two security guards. Al Shabab said the attack was part of their war against the government of Kenya.
2. Peshawar School Massacre
Peshawar, Pakistan, Dec. 16, 2014
Seven Taliban terrorists entered a government-run school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing over 140 people, almost all of which were children. The terrorist attack was the deadliest attack by the Taliban in Pakistan.
3. November 2015 Paris Attacks
Paris, France, Nov. 13, 2015 – Nov. 14, 2015
The Paris attacks were a series of suicide bombings and shootings over a two-day period organized by Islamic State groups. The combined death toll of the attacks was 130 people with the majority of deaths coming from a shooting at a concert hall.
4. Norway Attacks
Oslo, Norway, June 22, 2011
The Norway attacks were two attacks carried out by extremist Anders Breivik, 32, where eight people died in a bombing in Oslo and another 69 were shot on an island nearby. The attacker was a 32-year-old male who wrote a 1,500 page manifesto of which parts were devoted to criticizing Muslims and their immigration into Europe.
5. Westgate Shopping Mall Attack
Nairobi, Kenya, Sept. 21, 2013 – Sept. 24, 2013
Members of the terrorist group al Shabab took over the upscale Westgate mall in Nairobi, opening fire on civilians and detonating hand grenades. The attack ended after an 80-hour siege which involved parts of the mall starting on fire and collapsing after explosions. The attackers killed 67 people.
6. Las Vegas Shooting
Las Vegas, Nev., Oct. 1, 2017
Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire on country music festivalgoers from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay hotel in Las Vegas, killing 58 people with 700 injured between the gunfire and the following chaos. The massacre ended with the gunman shooting himself as police closed in on his hotel room. After over a yearlong investigation, the FBI concluded the shooter acted alone and could identify no clear motive for his actions. The mass shooting was the deadliest mass shooting in United States history.
7=. New Zealand Mosque Massacre The latest death toll is 49 with another 49 injured, at least 20 seriously.
7=. Orlando Nightclub Shooting
Orlando, Fla., June 12, 2016
Omar Mateen, 29, opened fire on Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., killing 49 people. The shooter called the police during the attack to pledge his loyalty to ISIS. The ensuing standoff with police lasted for three hours and ended with police killing the gunman. The attack was the worst jihad terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11.
9. Sousse Beach Mass Shooting
Sousse, Tunisia, June 26, 2015
Seifeddine Rezgui, a gunman associated with ISIS, shot and killed 38 people a the Port El Kantaoui resort complex in Tunisia. Thirty of the deaths were British tourists staying at the Hotel Rui Imperial Marhaba where the gunman opened fire, shooting guests indiscriminately. Twenty minutes after the attack had started, the gunman fled the scene and was later killed by police.
10. Sandy Hook Massacre
Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, 2012
Adam Lanza, 20, killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School where over 700 children were attending classes that day. The school had just updated its security system, and the gunman had to shoot his way into the building before entering classrooms where he shot both students and teachers. Law enforcement arriving on the scene did not have to fire a shot as the gunman killed himself with a handgun as police approached.
