Crime Commission Briefed on NC Mass Violence Trends
The Criminal Justice Analysis Center today presented new statewide findings on mass violence to members of the Governor’s Crime Commission.
Mass violence is defined as incidents in which four or more victims, excluding the shooter, are injured or killed with a firearm. Nationally, firearm violence peaked in 2021 and decreased through 2025. A new report, “Mass Violence in North Carolina, 2020-2025,” found that these incidents followed the same pattern.
“This analysis gives us critical insight into how mass violence affects communities across our state,” said Caroline Farmer, executive director of the Governor’s Crime Commission. “Better understanding these incidents helps us develop and strengthen prevention strategies that help keep North Carolinians safe.”
From 2020 through 2025, the state recorded 99 mass‑violence incidents resulting in 468 victims, with the highest number occurring in 2021. Urban counties saw the greatest concentration of cases, including Mecklenburg, Durham and Wake.
Victims of these incidents were predominantly Black, and the average victim age was 27. Victims ranged from very young children to older adults, underscoring the profound effect of mass violence on families and communities across the state.
At least 60 people have been arrested in connection with 31 of the incidents. The number may grow as agencies update NIBRS records. It’s important to note that the number of arrested individuals does not reflect the closure rate. Several outcomes are not captured in arrest totals, including two offenders who died before they could be arrested, two whose prosecution was declined and one individual currently held in another state or country. The data may also omit incidents involving offender suicide.
The full report is available on the Governor’s Crime Commission website.
About the Criminal Justice Analysis Center
The Criminal Justice Analysis Center sits within the Governor’s Crime Commission in the NC Department of Public Safety and serves as the state’s federally designated statistical analysis center. CJAC compiles statewide data on crime, criminal justice system activity and deaths in custody. It also coordinates with state agencies that collect data relevant to public safety and publishes data-driven analyses that inform conversations among the public, the Governor’s Crime Commission and other criminal justice partners.
CJAC provides public access to crime and criminal justice data at the state and county level via the N.C. Justice Data Portal and leads an advisory group focused on the alignment and analysis of multiagency justice data sources in the state of North Carolina.
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