Rise of Christian-Targeted Mass Shootings in the U.S. After 2015
Before the 2015 spike of Christian-targeted mass shootings in the United States, only two major incidents stood out: in 1999, Larry Gene Ashbrook killed seven at Wedgewood Baptist Church (Fort Worth, TX) while shouting anti-religion tirades; and in 2007, Matthew Murray killed four at a Youth With A Mission center and New Life Church (Colorado).
What followed after 2015 was a marked escalation—turning isolated tragedies into a recurring pattern against Christian schools and churches.
2025 – Annunciation Catholic School (Minneapolis, MN)
On August 27, 2025, Robin M. Westman (23), a transgender former student, opened fire during Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, targeting children and killing two kids and injuring 18 others before dying by suicide. Police labeled it a domestic terror hate crime.
Westman’s profile included being transgender, atheist, anti-Trump, and antisemitic, yet the New York Times claimed the motive was “unclear,” focusing instead on pronouns.
That same year, Charlie Kirk was assassinated on campus for opposing woke ideologies (NYP).
2023 – Covenant School (Nashville, TN)
On March 27, 2023, Aiden Hale (28), a transgender former student, stormed Covenant School, a Presbyterian academy, killing three children and three adults before being shot by police. The FBI confirmed the Christian school was deliberately chosen. Hale’s notes revealed anti-Christian resentment and ties to LGBTQ identity, but national media emphasized gender identity issues over the Christian target.
2017 – First Baptist Church (Sutherland Springs, TX)
On November 5, 2017, Devin Patrick Kelley (26), a disgraced Air Force veteran, opened fire at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, killing 26 worshipers and injuring 22 before dying by suicide. His motive was linked to a domestic dispute, but he had also expressed atheistic hostility toward religion. The deadliest church shooting in U.S. history was reduced in coverage to just another gun violence statistic.
2017 – Burnette Chapel Church of Christ (Antioch, TN)
On September 24, 2017, Emanuel Kidega Samson (25) attacked Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, killing one and injuring six before being subdued. He cited revenge for the Charleston shooting, turning racial grievance into Christian-targeted violence, though reports softened it as a “tragic shooting.”
2015 – Emanuel AME Church (Charleston, SC)
On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof (21), a white supremacist, sat through Bible study at Emanuel AME Church before murdering nine Black Christians, including the pastor. Roof’s manifesto revealed his racist, white nationalist ideology, but pundits downplayed the Christian setting by framing it as the act of a “lonely drifter.”
A Malevolent Force After Pushing God out of the School
The saga of school shootings in the USA bears witness to a malevolent force at work. Politicians have struggled to thwart this assault, leaving a trail of sorrow in their wake. From 2010 to 2020 alone, there have been 236 shooting-related incidents in American schools. That’s about two shootings occurring every month.
