FBI Statistics on Active Shooter Incidents

Texas law enforcement professional Chris Grollnek founded Countermeasure Consulting Group, LLC, to offer security guidance to corporations across America. One of this Texas company's most important services involves active shooter prevention. Chris Grollnek has held involvement in three active shooter incidents, twice as a police officer and once as a civilian, and he is recognized as one of the few active shooter prevention experts in the U.S. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has compiled statistics that offer insights into active shooter incidents. Typically occurring in small to medium-sized communities, active shooter incidents last for 12 minutes on average, with one-third ending in less than five minutes. Over 95 percent of such incidents are committed by a sole male shooter. Moreover, 40 percent of active shooters take their own lives following the completion of the event, while 30 percent leave the scene. Generally, police are underprepared due to lack of resources and training to react to these incidents. Because of the speed with which these events occur, officers arrive during the actual shooting only 57 percent of the time, and first responders usually consist of one or two officers. However, the U.S. Department of Justice and Bureau of Justice Assistance, as well as private companies such as Countermeasure Consulting Group, have developed valuable active shooter training programs that teach proper ways to handle such incidents.