Thread by @nytimes

Mass shootings keep happening in the U.S.

There are even more than you realize.

This summer alone, 26 of them left 126 people dead.

We reviewed all of them and found that while each was distinct, clear patterns emerged. nyti.ms/30F9ST4

Of the 26 mass shootings we examined:
– None of them went unsolved. In every case, the suspect was male.
– In about half of the cases, suspects had a family or romantic tie to at least one victim.
– Children died in 11 of the mass shootings. None happened at a school.

The 12 people killed in Virginia Beach, at a municipal office building, were the first in what felt like a summer-long siege. Employers have invested in elaborate security systems to keep dangerous people out — but the threat came from someone inside.

Police are trained to race toward gunfire and take on mass shooters. But their handguns can be overmatched: In 3 of the 4 deadliest shootings this summer, high-powered AR- or AK-style guns were used.

In Dayton, Ohio, the gunman killed 9 people in just 32 seconds.

In the U.S., hate crime reports have been on the rise. This summer, hate spurred at least one of the shootings, authorities say. A gunman killed 32 people with an AK-47-style rifle in El Paso. nyti.ms/30BcOAm

The shootings came one after another. A well-known cycle followed: shooting, mourning, calls for change. But by Labor Day weekend, the debate about gun control had returned to a familiar stalemate.

Read our full examination of a deadly summer in America. nyti.ms/30BcOAm