By Steve Gorman

(Reuters) – The United States suffered 61 incidents of “active shooter”, an increase in attacks, casualties, and geographical distribution since 2021, according to the FBI report on Monday. This is the most serious number in 20 years.

According to the FBI, the 2021 total was spread across 30 states and 52% more than 2020. It also surpassed each year’s previous three years. An active shooter is someone who kills or attempts to kill others in public spaces in an apparently random manner, according to the FBI.

Just over half the incidents involving commercial business were reported last year. The FBI also noted a growing trend of “roving militant shooters” setting fire to multiple locations. One example was an attack on several Atlanta-area dayspas by a gunman, according to the FBI.

The report stated that 103 people were killed in the active-shooter massacre last year, and 140 others were injured. In contrast, in 2020 the FBI reported 40 active shooter attacks on 19 states, which killed 38 people in the US and injured 126. These incidents occurred at a time when there were severe economic and social restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Data from 2017 is a significant factor in comparisons to recent years. In that year, a gunman attacked an outdoor music festival at Las Vegas’s Venetian Hotel Window. The attack killed 56 people and wounded hundreds more.

Las Vegas Attack alone drove 2017’s annual casualty total – 143 deaths and 591 injuries – up to new records. Even though there were 31 shooting incidents during 2017, about half of the 2021 number.

It ranks only seventh for active shooting incidents, despite the fact that it was the deadliest year since 2000 (the first year FBI data is available). It is still the most number of these attacks ever recorded, surpassing only 40 in 2020.

According to the report, California had six active shooter incidents last year, while Texas and Georgia each had five.

Ten people were killed in the massacre at Kings Soopers Grocery Store, Boulder, Colorado. In Indianapolis, FedEx (NYSE:), a FedEx facility left seven people injured and eight killed.

FBI pointed out that the FBI’s active shooter report doesn’t include all gun violence, or all mass shootings. The government considers this to be at most one incident.

According to the FBI, gang or drug-related violent acts were excluded. These incidents are defined as isolated hostage situations and crossfire from other crimes.