US mass killings are down in 2025, but experts say it’s likely just a return to more typical levels

A shooting last weekend at a children’s birthday party in Stockton that left four dead was the 17th mass killing this year — the lowest number recorded since 2006, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

Experts warn that the drop doesn’t necessarily mean safer days are here to stay and that it could simply represent a return to average levels.