List: California Mass Shootings of the Past Decade

The deadliest of all mass shootings in the New Year took place in Southern California, in a neighborhood called Monterey Park.

In 2023 across the United States, the number of mass shootings nationwide so far this year has outpaced the number of calendar days.

And in 2023, it was the worst January yet for mass shootings.

The deadliest of all mass shootings in the New Year took place in Southern California, in a neighborhood called Monterey Park.

Monterey Park has been listed as one of America's best places to live and raise a family, not only by a Time/Money Magazine ranking, but by the people who live in the community.

During a Lunar New Year celebration at a dance hall frequented mostly by older patrons, a 72-year-old shooter opened fire, ultimately killing 11.

Within 48 hours, another mass shooting in Northern California left at least seven dead.

By Jan. 25, some 40 shootings have occurred in the nation, with six of those being classified as mass murders by Gun Violence Archive.

Of the six this year, three of those have been in California.

In California, with some of the strictest gun laws in the country, the state has a troubled and bloody past when it comes to mass shootings.

Mass shootings are defined by the Gun Violence Archive as at least four people being killed or injured in a shooting, not including the shooter.

Here's a list of mass shootings in California over the years.

Below is an interactive map to show where each mass shooting has occurred.

2023

Jan. 23, 2023: Half Moon Bay, California

Death toll: 7

A 66-year-old farmworker opened fire on his coworkers in the Northern California town, injuring eight and killing seven. The gunman reportedly told investigators he decided to carry out the shootings after his supervisor demanded he pay $100 to repair a forklift damaged at work.

His coworkers said he hadn't had any problems before the shootings, and was often friendly.

Jan. 21, 2023: Monterey Park, California

Eric Sham visits a memorial on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 for those killed in a mass shooting at The Star Ballroom.
Getty
Eric Sham visits a memorial on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 for those killed in a mass shooting at The Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

Death toll: 11

A 72-year-old shooter opened fire on the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park as people celebrated the Lunar New Year. He fled and went on to another studio in Alhambra where a man disarmed him. Eleven people shot at the first location died, while others recovered at the hospital. No one was harmed at the second location, thanks to the man who wrestled the gun away from the shooter. The gunman later died of self-inflicted gunshot wound in a white van in Torrance.

Jan. 16, 2023: Goshen, California

Visalia, CaliforniaJan. 17, 2023Tulare County Sherrif Mike Boudreaux holds a press conference in Vasalia, California on Jan. 17, 2023 regarding the shooting of six people in Goshen, CA. A poster of the victims of the Goshen homicides is displayed at the press conference. Six people were killed at a home in Goshen, California over the MLK holiday weekend. Tulare County sheriff deputies stand guard outside the property on Harvest Ave., blocked off with yellow tape, in Goshen on Jan. 17, 2023. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Death toll: 6

A 16-year-old mother and her 10-month-old baby were among six killed “assassination-style" in a shocking attack on a central California home linked to guns and drugs. The other four victims ranged from 19 to 72 years old.

The shooter or shooters have not been arrested, and the reward stands at $25,000 for information leading to capturing the person responsible.

2022

Sept. 28, 2022: Oakland, California

Death toll: 1

A shooter opened fire on the King Estate school campus, injuring six and killing one. Authorities later said it was believed to have been a gang-related attack.

May 15, 2022: Laguna Woods, California

Flowers are left outside a Laguna Woods church.
Toni Guinyard
Flowers are left outside a Laguna Woods church Tuesday May 17, 2022.

Death toll: 1

A Las Vegas man shot six people, leaving one person dead at a Taiwanese American church luncheon in Orange County. The 68-year-old man arrested in the Laguna Woods church shooting faces hate crime allegations in addition to murder and attempted murder charges.

A 52-year-old doctor, Dr. John Cheng, charged and tried to disarm the gunman, allowing other people to intervene, the sheriff's department said. He died in the attack.

April 3, 2022: Sacramento, California

Sacramento Mass Shooting
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
Investigators search for evidence in the area of a mass shooting In Sacramento, Calif. April 3, 2022.

Death toll: 6

An attack at 2 a.m. in downtown Sacramento was dubbed the "worst mass shooting in Sacramento's history" by local media, and left six people dead during an alleged gang dispute. Three men alleged to be gang members and three women who were innocent bystanders died in the shootout that occurred as patrons of bars and nightclubs emptied out onto downtown streets. A dozen more people were wounded.

2021

July 25, 2021: Wasco, San Joaquin Valley, California

Kern County Sheriff's Office
Kern County Sheriff's Deputy Phillip Campas, slain over the weekend when his SWAT team tried to rescue hostages from an active shooter.

Death toll: 5

A man armed with an AK-47-style rifle and a handgun held hostages in a San Joaquin Valley home in a situation that ultimately deteriorated into a shootout, leaving five dead, including a sheriff's deputy on the SWAT team.

May 26, 2021: San Jose, California

NBC Bay Area
An emotional memorial honoring the nine VTA workers who police say were killed by their co-worker takes on a political tone. As friends and family of the victims speak out against rising gun violence and mass shootings.

Death toll: 10

A 57-year-old who co-workers described as being "disgruntled" killed nine people and himself at a VTA rail line. A dozen guns, roughly 25,000 rounds of ammunition, suspected Molotov cocktails and multiple cans of gasoline were found inside the mass shooting suspect's home after the tragedy.

March 31, 2021: Orange, California

Victims in the Orange office shooting.
Family Photos
The four people killed in the March 31, 2021 Orange office building shooting are (L-R) Luis Tovar Sr., 50; Matthew Farias, 9; employee Leticia Solis Guzman, 58; and Tovar's daughter, Genevieve Raygoza, 28. Matthew is the son of a woman wounded in the attack, identified as Blanca Tomayo.

Death toll: 4

The estranged husband of a woman went on a shooting rampage in an Orange office building that left four people dead — including a 9-year-old boy.

2020

Sept. 7, 2020: Aguanga, California

Death toll: 7

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said that following a report of an assault with a deadly weapon in Aguanga, law enforcement officers discovered seven people who had been shot. Six were pronounced dead at the scene and a seventh died at the hospital.

2019

Nov. 17, 2019: Fresno, California

Fresno, Nov. 2019 shooting

Death toll: 4

Four were killed and six were hurt when two shooters sneaked into a Fresno backyard during a party as a group was watching football and opened fire.

"They fired randomly into the crowd. It does not appear that they were targeting any individuals, and once they fired, they fled," Fresno Police Chief Andrew Hall said.

Nov.14, 2019: Santa Clarita, California

1187910247
Getty Images

Death toll: 3

On his 16th birthday, a Saugus High School student pulled a gun out of his backpack and opened fire on his fellow classmates, killing two and injuring three other teens before he killed himself.

Investigators said the .45-caliber handgun used in the shooting was a ghost gun assembled from a variety of parts and did not have a registration number.

Oct. 31, 2019: Orinda, California

Memorials_Created_to_Honor_Victims_of_Orinda_Shooting.jpg

Death toll: 5

Five people were killed and four hurt when a shooter opened fire at a Halloween block party in Orinda, a Northern California city.

July 28, 2019: Gilroy, California

GilroyStrongScenePhoto
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Death toll: 3

A gunman opened fire at the popular Gilroy Garlic Festival, killing three and wounding 17. The shooting occurred just as the Garlic Festival was wrapping up its three-day run on a Sunday evening. A gunman entered the grounds by breaking through a fence then opened fire, killing three young people and wounding 17 others before police officers shot and wounded him. He ultimately killed himself. 

April 27, 2019: Poway, California

memorial poway synagogue shooting
NBC 7

Death toll: 1

A nursing student opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle during the last day of Passover services at a Poway synagogue in April 2019. The attack killed 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye and wounded three others, including an 8-year-old girl and the rabbi, who lost a finger.

2018

Nov. 7, 2018: Thousand Oaks, California

Borderline Shooting 4
MediaNews Group via Getty Images

Death toll: 13

Thirteen people were killed and 16 more were hurt when a gunman entered the packed Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks on Nov. 7, 2018. Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus died that night, a victim of friendly fire as California Highway Patrol Officer Barrett fired his weapon toward the gunman.

April 3, 2018: San Bruno, California

Law enforcement officials walk toward YouTube offices in San Bruno, Calif., Tuesday, April 3, 2018.

Death toll: 1

A woman opened fire at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, injuring four people before killing herself. Authorities said she had visited the company's headquarters and "inquired about employment" a day before.

March 9, 2018: Yountville, California

Shooting-Victims-Yountville
Courtesy LinkedIn and Pathway Home

Death toll: 5

A 36-year-old sneaked into a going-away party for employees of The Pathway Home on the veterans home campus in Yountville, and held the three women hostage during an hours-long standoff. Five people, including the shooter, were killed. An unborn child was among those killed.

2017

Nov. 13, 2017: Tehama County, California

TehamaShootingPresser1_763108
KCRA

Death toll: 6

Six were killed and 11 hurt when a 44-year-old shooter opened fire on homes, cars and an elementary school around his tiny hometown of Rancho Tehama Reserve. A deputy ultimately shot and killed him.

June 14, 2017: San Francisco, California

CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING/
Stephen Lam/Reuters

Death toll: 4

A UPS worker entered the San Francisco UPS facility and appeared to single out coworkers, gunning down three of them and injuring two others. The 18-year UPS worker then turned the gun on himself.

April 13–18, 2017: Fresno, California

AP Photo/Scott Smith, File
In this April 18, 2017, file photo, Fresno police stand next to a pile of clothes in the neighborhood where shootings occurred in Fresno, Calif.

Death toll: 3

A Black man targeting white people in a racially-motivated shooting spree fired 17 shots in less than a minute at four Fresno locations.

April 10, 2017: San Bernardino, California

NBCLA

Death toll: 3

A teacher and an 8-year-old were slain when a gunman opened fire at San Bernardino's North Park Elementary School. A second student, a 9-year-old, was also shot. The shooter fatally shot himself after killing his estranged wife, teacher Karen Elaine Smith, and 8-year-old boy Jonathan Martinez, in a special-education classroom at North Park Elementary.

2015

Dec. 2, 2015: San Bernardino, California

APTOPIX San Bernardino Attack
AP

Death toll: 16

At a December holiday party at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, a husband and wife killed fourteen and injured dozens others. At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook attack.

2014

May 23, 2014: Isla Vista, California

vigils isla vista 493689285_10 (6)

Death toll: 7

A deadly rampage in Isla Vista carried out by a 22-year-old fueled by rage over women, because no woman had wanted to date him, left seven dead and 14 hurt. He first stabbed three men to death in his apartment before going on to other locations, including UC Santa Barbara's Alpha Phi sorority house, when he fired on students from his car. He ultimately took his own life.

2013

Nov. 1, 2013: Los Angeles, California

LAX4

Death toll: 1

A man entered LAX and opened fire on the airport security checkpoint, killing a Transportation Security Administration officer. Four other people were injured in the shooting. The man, armed with a semiautomatic rifle and dozens of rounds of ammunition, continued firing rounds in the terminal before he was shot in the head and leg during a gun battle with airport police.

June 7, 2013: Santa Monica, California

SANTA MONICA, CA - JUNE 07: Santa Monica Police officers prepare to search the campus of Santa Monica College after multiple shootings were reported on the campus June 7, 2013 in Santa Monica, California. Six people were killed in the rampage, according to news reports. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Death toll: 6

A man went on a deadly rampage in Santa Monica, first killing two people in a residence before setting it on fire, then armed himself with a semi-automatic rifle went on a rampage at a Santa Monica College campus bookstore. Six people were killed and five more were injured.

Feb. 3–12, 2013: Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside Counties, California

Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz presents the American flag to wife Regina Crain and daughter Kaitlyn,4, during the memorial service for slain Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain at Riverside National Cemetery on Feb. 13, 2013 in Riverside, California. Crain was killed in an ambush by Christopher Dorner as he sat in his police car at a red light on Feb. 7, 2013. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Death toll: 5

In one of the largest manhunts in local history, former cop Christopher Dorner started a horrific crime spree in Orange County that zig-zagged all the way down to the border before ultimately ending at a burning cabin in Big Bear. The shocking dayslong manhunt put the entirety of Southern California on edge, and even led to officers mistakenly opening fire on a surfer and two women delivering newspapers in Torrance. Dorner targeted families of officers, and published a lengthy manifesto.

Contact Us