The horrific shooting rampage in a German high school on April 26, 2002 that killed at least 18 people, including the gunman, is one of the worst cases of mass-murder at a school in history. It is stark reminder of the tragic events that occurred in the U.S. in Columbine in April 20,1999 and that this is an issue that warrants serious attention to learn how to prevent such future incidents.
A gunman killed three people in a rampage that started when he killed his former boss and a foreman at the home furnishings company that had recently fired him. Afterward, he traveled 12 miles to a Munich suburb, entered a high school and shot the headmaster after he was unable to find the teacher he was after. He shot another teacher in the face and set off homemade bombs before committing suicide.
A knife-wielding man killed eight children and wounded 21 people after he forced his way into Ikeda Elementary School. The man was armed with a 6-inch kitchen knife. Seven girls and one boy were killed, most of them first- and second-graders at the private school.
Sixty-seven students were killed in a fire at Kyanguli Secondary School that police treated as arson linked to tensions at the school following the decision by the local education authority to annul exam results because of suspicions of cheating.
A 15-year-old student shot and killed two classmates and wounded another 13 people at Santana High School in Santee, California, about 10 miles northeast of San Diego.
A 7-year-old boy shot and killed 6-year-old Kayla Rolland the day after the two had quarreled in the playground. The boy, who was in the first grade, brought the .32 caliber handgun used in the shooting from home.
In the worst incident of school violence in U.S. history, two students at Columbine High School killed 12 students and one teacher and wounded 23 others. Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, assaulted the school with guns and homemade bombs. After an hour-long rampage, the two shot and killed themselves.
A 14-year old former student fired four shots from a .22-caliber rifle at W.R. Myers High School, killing a 17-year-old male student and wounding another. The shooter was a 14-year-old boy who had dropped out of school after being severely ostracized by his classmates.
A 15-year-old student killed two other students and wounded 22 others after opening fire in the cafeteria at Thurston High School. The shooter, Kip Kinkel, also killed his parents, who were found dead at their home. Kinkel had been arrested and released in his father's custody a day earlier for bringing a gun to school.
Four students and one teacher were killed and 10 others wounded outside as Westside Middle School emptied during a false fire alarm. Mitchell Johnson, 14, and Andrew Golden, 12, shot at their schoolmates and teachers from the woods.
Michael Carneal, 14, opened fire on students participating in a prayer circle at Heath High School, killing three students and wounding five. Carneal was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for 25 years.
After stabbing his mother to death, Luke Woodham, 16, went to his high school and shot nine students and killing two. Woodham was convicted as an adult in June 1998 and is serving three life sentences.
Mohammad Ahmad al-Naziri, 48, opened fire with an assault rifle on hundreds of pupils at two schools in Sanaa, killing six children and two others. A Yemeni court sentenced him to death the next day and he was executed by firing squad a week later.
Armed with a four handguns, Thomas Hamilton entered an elementary school in this small Scottish town and killed 16 children, all ages 5 and 6, and a 44-year-old kindergarten teacher before killing himself. Eight other children and two adults were wounded in the attack.
Armed with a shotgun and a rifle, Eric Houston, a 20-year-old former student, killed three students and a teacher and took 80 people hostage during a 10-hour siege at Lindhurst High School. Ten people were wounded in the incident. Houston was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Prosecutors said he shot the teacher, 28-year-old Robert Brens, because Brens had given him a failing grade that kept him from graduating.
A gunman armed with an AK-47 assault rifle opened fire on a playground at an elementary school, killing five children and wounding 29 children and one teacher. Patrick Purdy, the 26-year-old gunman, then killed himself.
James Wilson, 19, opened fire with a revolver in an elementary school, first in the cafeteria, where he shot three students and a teacher. He then shot a teacher in a girl's bathroom and four more students in a third-grade classroom. Two 8-year-old girls died from their wounds.
Armed with three handguns, Laurie Dann, 30, walked into a classroom at Hubbard Woods Elementary School and shot six students, killing one second-grader. She then fled the school, shot a man in a house nearby and then committed suicide.
Armed with a .22-caliber rifle, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opened fire on an elementary school across the street from her home. Spencer killed two people and wounded seven as children arrived for class that morning. She gained more notoriety when asked why she began shooting, she replied "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." She is now in prison