A list of notable shooting attacks on houses of worship in the US in the past 20 years

Significant Shooting Incidents at U.S. Places of Worship Over the Past 20 Years

A gunman opened fire inside a church in Michigan during Sunday services, causing casualties after crashing his car into the entrance of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township.

This incident marks another in a series of shooting attacks on places of worship in the U.S. over the past two decades. Here’s a list of some of the more significant attacks.

August 27, 2025: Two children were killed and many others injured in a shooting during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis. The shooter, identified as a former student of the parish’s school, reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

June 16, 2022: During a potluck dinner at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, a gunman killed three people. His rampage was halted when another diner struck him with a folding chair and restrained him until police arrived.

Oct. 27, 2018: Eleven Jews were killed during services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh by a white supremacist known for his antisemitic views. The shooter, Robert Bowers, has been sentenced to death following his conviction on multiple federal charges.

Nov. 5, 2017: A mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, believed to be triggered by a family feud, became the deadliest in modern Texas history. Twenty-five people, including a pregnant woman, lost their lives.

Sept. 24, 2017: A gunman opened fire at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee, killing one person and injuring several others, including the minister. The shooter, who previously attended the church, was sentenced to life without parole in 2019.

June 17, 2015: A young man walked into a Bible study session at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. and killed nine people. The victims included the senior pastor, Clementa Pinckney. The shooter, Dylann Roof, was an avowed white supremacist; he is awaiting execution after his conviction on multiple federal charges.

August 5, 2012: Six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in the town of Oak Creek were shot to death by a 41-year-old white supremacist who had discussed a racial holy war. One of the injured victims died in 2020 from his head wound, becoming the seventh fatality.

July 27, 2008: A gunman fired a sawed-off shotgun during a children’s performance at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, killing two people and wounding several others. Police said the shooter targeted the church because of its liberal leanings.

Dec. 9, 2007: A man killed two people and wounded three at Colorado Springs’ New Life Church before taking his own life. Earlier the same day, he killed two people and injured two at a Youth With a Mission Center in the Denver suburb of Arvada.

March 12, 2005: Terry Michael Ratzmann killed seven fellow congregants at the Living Church of God in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a Milwaukee suburb. He killed himself after the shooting. Prosecutors never determined an exact motive, although they said he blamed the church for his depression and financial problems.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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