Throughout American history, there have been hundred of mass shootings that have rocked communities nationwide. But while more than 50 percent are committed by white men, a shocking 21 percent come at the hands of Black people.
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Recent mass shootings in Georgia and New York City have been allegedly carried out by Black suspects. So now, The Root is remembering some of the many shocking mass shootings that shook the Black community.
Quornelius Radford
On Wednesday (Aug. 5), an Army base in Georgia, Fort Stewart, was put on lock down in response to an “active shooter” crisis. Now, police have taken Sgt. Quornelius Radford into custody for his alleged role in the tragedy, Newsweek reported. Although n0 deaths have been reported, police say Radford shot at least five people — all of whom are soldiers. The 28-year-old active-duty sergeant was reportedly detained by fellow soldiers.
Shane Tamura
On July 28, Shane Tamura walked inside the 345 Park Avenue office tower in new York City — home to the NFL’s headquarters — and opened fire. NYPD continue to investigate Tamura after he allegedly shot and killed four people before taking his own life on Monday. Tamura left a three-page suicide note blaming the NFL and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) for his decline in mental health, the New York Times reported. He also requested his brain by studied.
John Allen Muhammad
In 2002, John Allen Muhammad and his teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, drove through Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia (the DMV) committing multiple robberies and fatal shootings. Muhammad, who was 41 years old at the time of his arrest, was the mastermind behind the brutal attacks, PBS reported. Over a three-week period, Muhammad and Malvo terrorized the DMV, killing 17 people.
The duo would go down in history as “the DC Snipers” and the “Beltway Snipers,” targeting random people in the streets and killing them. Muhammad was arrested and sentenced to death in Virginia. He was killed by lethal injection seven years after the mass killing, according to ABC News. Malvo continues to serve a life sentence for his crimes.
Aaron Alexis
Aaron Alexis was a former Navy reservist and a military contractor when he walked into headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command with a large rifle and began shooting, CNN reported. Alexis, 34, entered the headquarters cafeteria and ultimately claimed 12 lives on Sept. 16, 2013. That same day, Alexis got into a brutal shootout with officers. One of them shot Alexis in the head, killing him.
Gary Montez Martin
People said Gary Montez Martin seemed fine that day he killed five co-workers in 2019. “He came in almost every day and bought two or three Black & Mild cigars,” a clerk at a local Circle K told USA Today. But hours after leaving the connivence store, Martin arrived at his workplace, a factory in Aurora, Ill. before fatally shooting five co-workers and injuring six cops. He was shot and killed by police that same day. Investigators discovered that Martin had been fired from his job– where he worked for 11 years– earlier that day.
Solomon Sahmad Charlie Henderson
Solomon Sahmad Charlie Henderson was a 17-year-old student at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tenn. On January 22, 2025, he opened fire in the school cafeteria, fatally shooting his 16-year-old classmate, Josselin Corea Escalante, and injuring two others before taking his own life. . In the aftermath, investigators discovered two written documents attributed to Henderson — one 51 pages long and another 288 pages — indicating premeditation and intent.
Colin Ferguson
Colin Ferguson came to New York in 1993 after immigrating from Jamaica and spending time on the West coast. In Dec 1993, he boarded a Long Island Rail Road train and opened fire, according to ABC 7. In total, Ferguson killed six people and injured 19. He was soon arrested and tried in 1995. According to History.com, Ferguson pled not guilty, arguing first that a white man stole his gun, committed the mass shooting and blame it all on him. He later claimed that he was not shooter, just someone who looked like the shooter. Ferguson was sentenced to 315 years in prison.
Maurice Clemmons
Maurice Clemmons had a history of violence and crime beginning when he was just 17 years old in Arkansas. But he was given a second chance at life when then- Governor Mike Huckabee commuted his 10-year sentence, History Link reported. In 2004, Clemmons moved to Washington, where he started a family, bought a house and was still committing crimes. He had been arrested for rape and assaulting an officer in 2009.
Months after being released on bail, Clemmons walked into a local cafe, spotted three police officers and shot them each in the head. A fourth officer was ordering at the counter and got into a brief struggle with Clemmons over the gun. Ultimately, Clemmons shot and killed the fourth cop. After a two-day manhunt, Clemmons was shot and killed by a cop, the Seattle Times reported.
Christopher Dorner
In what remains the biggest manhunt in the history of Southern California, the search for Christopher Dorner took over major headlines in 2013. That’s when Dorner, who was a former LAPD officer, went on a killing spree after being fired from his job, ABC 7 reported. Initially, police were investigating a double homicide, but after evidence connecting Dorner to the crime appeared, things took a turn.
Police soon discovered an online manifesto from Dorner with a list of names of folks the former cop wanted revenge against. A $1 million reward was announced fro anyone with information on Dorner. In total, the ex-officer killed four people and injured three officers before being killed by police.
Omar S. Thornton
Omar S. Thornton’s employers informer him that a meeting would take place on Aug. 3, 2010. According to reports, Thorton worked at a beer distribution company in Connecticut but was caught on video stealing from the establishment. In preparation for his meeting, Thorton packed a lunch box with two handguns. He was fired on the spot, and on his way out the building, he unleashed shots onto anyone he could find. First in the kitchen, Thorton eventually killed workers in the hallway, trash compactor area and lobby entrance.
In total, he killed eight people before turning the gun on himself. His last words reportedly were “I killed the five racists that was there bothering me,” which he said during a phone call with his mother, ABC News reported.
Willie Cory Godbolt
In 2017, Willie Cory Godbolt killed eight people during a violent rampage in Mississippi. According to police, the kiling spree was prompted by a domestic dispute between his estranged wife and their children. He targeted his in-laws, a sheriff’s deputy, two teenagers, and other relatives connected to his wife’s family.
Godbolt was arrested following a shootout with police, WAPT reported. He was convicted in 2020 and received the death penalty for four capital murder charges and multiple life sentences for the others.
Kori Ali Muhammad
In April 2017, Kori Ali Muhammad killed a white security guard, Carl Williams, at a motel and went into hiding. The next day, Muhammad targeted three white men, Zackary Randalls, Mark Gassett and David Jackson, in part of his alleged “race war” against white people. In less than a minute, Muhammad fired 17 shots in less than a minute. He later confessed to the murders pleaded guilty in 2021, Frenso County reported. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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