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Mass Shootings in Europe in 2016

A running tally of mass gun violence on the European continent.

VICE tracked mass shootings in America in 2016, and compared the numbers with their European counterparts. Read our rationale for the project and the metrics we used here. America's mass shooting tracker can be found here. This projected concluded on December 31, 2016, and is no longer being monitored or updated.

Europe


December 27

Moscow, Russia: 0 Dead, 5 Injured 
In the afternoon, a squad of police investigators arrived at a second-floor apartment where they believed a suspected thief was hiding out. But as they opened the door, the man, a 45-year-old identified in some reports as K. Lunkov, opened fire on them with a hunting rifle, wounding three officers and two civilian bystanders before fleeing. As of publication, the conditions of the victims remained unclear. Lunkov was later located in another apartment, holding a hostage. After a standoff, he shot and killed himself.

December 18

Nikolaev, Ukraine: 0 Dead, 4 Injured
Around 6 AM, a dispute-turned-brawl broke out between two locals and four out-of-towners. Things eventually escalated when one of the participants pulled out a gun and opened fire near the Victory Square apartments. Authorities responded right around the time of the shooting and managed to detain an alleged shooter and an accomplice.

December 14

Olsha, Russia: 2 dead, 3 injured
At about 5 PM, a man set fire to his own house, andthen stepped outside in camouflage with a gun before setting fire to his neighbor's house as well. The neighbor came outside and was promptly shot to death. The assailant proceeded to open fire, apparently randomly, on another local man, ultimately killing him as well. Thereafter, he turned on nine emergency responders who had arrived to put out the fires and shot three of them. Other responders tried to subdue the shooter, but he managed to shoot himself in the neck and later died of his injuries. Responders later found a woman, believed to be his mother, dead in his home, although as of publication it remained unclear if she had died due to a gunshot or to the fire. Two of the firefighter victims remained in the hospital while one had already been released from treatment.

December 5

Stavropol, Russia: 0 dead, 4 injured
At some point in the early morning, three patrons at the Ruble bar reportedly broke a plate, then attempted to leave without paying, but were stopped by restaurant employees. A private security guard responded soon after, but his confrontation with the patrons quickly escalated and he discharged a firearm. The first warning shot towards the ceiling ricocheted into the stomach of a bartender, while subsequent shots towards the floor reportedly struck the three patrons in their legs. All of the victims were hospitalized, although as of publication their status remained unknown. Authorities were reviewing whether the guard's use of a firearm was justified.

December 4

Knyazychy, Ukraine: 4 dead, 0 Injured
At about 4 AM, a group of law enforcement officers from Kiev were setting up a sting operation in the nearby suburb of Knyazychy, hoping to catch a long-active group of robbers working their way through the metro area, in the act. Two plainclothes police investigators were setting up an observation point in an abandoned building next to the robbers' target when an alarm went off in an adjacent building. State Guard Service operatives—members of a division of the local police tasted with property security—responded, saw footprints leading into the abandoned building, and apprehended the plainclothes officers, apparently unaware of the operation at hand. Outside, special forces observing the interaction mistakenly believed the plainclothes investigators had been captured by the burglars they were waiting for and opened fire. The ensuing gun battle killed at least two State Guards and the two plainclothes cops on one side, and at least one special forces officer on the other side. The burglars heard the gunfire and fled, but were later apprehended with weapons and charged in Kiev.

October 30

Yekaterinburg, Russia: 0 dead, 5 injured
At about 7:40 AM, local officials received reports of a shooting at a Halloween party that began the night before at Basement, a local club. Although witness accounts varied, cops ultimately learned that a conflict had broken out between a heavyset man with a red beard and a group of attendees at the party. The man reportedly took out a gun and started shooting, injuring five individuals between the ages of 22 and 34. As of publication, the extent of those injuries remained unclear and officials had yet to apprehend the suspect, although their investigations into the attack were ongoing.

October 26

Langladure, France: 0 dead, 4 injured
At about 9 AM, a 59-year-old man opened fire on the police when they came to evict him from his rental home. He struck one officer in the shoulder and another in the leg with buckshot, and caught two neighbors nearby in their side and shoulder, respectively, with additional shots, firing off around eight rounds. He was immediately arrested. All the victims were hospitalized, but as of publication their wounds were considered non-life-threatening.

October 23

Melitopol, Ukraine: 2 dead, 2 injured
At about 3:50 AM, police responding to reports of a shooting found a 24-year-old man dead. They later identified three other victims of the attack suffering from gunshot wounds in local medical facilities, one of whom died while undergoing treatment. As of publication, the condition of the other two victims remained unclear, and local authorities had yet to make any arrests or publicly name any suspects, although investigations were ongoing.

Pyt-Yakh, Russia: 0 dead, 4 injured
At about 9 PM, a shooting broke out at a café that kitchen staff who heard the shots claim stemmed from a dispute between two diaspora groups. The shooter(s) injured a total of four people in or near the café. As of publication their conditions remained unclear, and though local officials had located a gun at the scene, as well as several cartridges for various calibers of ammunition, they had yet to make any arrests, name any suspects, or confirm the café staff's account of the conflict.

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October 7

Copenhagen, Denmark: 1 Dead, 3 Injured
At about 10:24 PM, at least one unknown assailant carried out a shooting near the city's Hans Knudsen Space, striking four people before fleeing. One of the victims, a 30-year-old man, succumbed to his injuries, while as of publication the status of the other three victims remained unclear. Local officials were seeking two unnamed and unknown suspects in relation to the attack, although they had yet to make any arrests in their investigation.

September 25

Malmo, Sweden: 0 dead, 4 injured
At about 7 PM, a group of gunmen on mopeds reportedly opened fire on a car they'd been chasing through the southern neighborhoods of the city. Witnesses heard about 20 shots in bursts of three at a time, suggesting the shooters used an automatic weapon. (They were originally described by at least one witness as fleeing the scene in a grey Audi, but police now claim they fled on scooters instead.) The assailants struck four people—at least one of them in the head. Their conditions were, as of publication, unclear, save that they had all survived. Police have yet to name any suspects, but their investigations are ongoing.

SEPTEMBER 3

Yekaterinburg, Russia: 2 Dead, 7 Injured
On September 2,an alleged dispute broke out between 38-year-old Oleg Shishova, a local businessman, and a group of Roma throwing a wedding. At about 5 PM the next day, between 15 and 30 Roma and Russians reportedly came to Shishova's home to confront him. Shishova (and perhaps one other person) opened fire on the group with a Kalashnikov-type rifle, striking nine individuals before fleeing with his family. Two of the victims, 17-year-old Paul Basargin and 27-year-old Kirill Shtripling, died of their injuries while undergoing treatment; the conditions of the other seven victims remained unclear as of publication. On September 5, Shishova turned himself in, but contended that the crowd at his door had threatened his life and opened fire first, prompting him to retaliate in self-defense. Officials were, as of publication, still investigating Shishova's account of the shooting, as well as whether there may have been a second shooter (and thus a second suspect on the loose) based on shell casings from two guns.

August 30

Solotvyno, Ukraine: 1 dead, 3 inured
Sometime in the evening, two groups reportedly engaged in a dispute over debt owed by one to the other in the context of cigarette smuggling met near a gas station. They engaged in a verbal spat for a while before a member of one side pulled out a sub-machine gun and fired off at least 20 shells, hitting four people, and then fled. All of the victims, aged between 22 and 36, were hospitalized, with three in critical condition. After hours in critical condition, one of the injured died while in hospital. Local authorities launched a large-scale investigation into the incident, but had yet to announce the apprehension of anyone involved.

August 22

Ternopil, Ukraine: 3 dead, 1 injured
At about 8:30 PM, authorities responded to reports of a domestic disturbance in a home in the Babintsy Borshchiv village region that ended with the sounds of gunshots. Inside, they found a 45-year-old man with a hunting rifle who'd just shot his wife dead. Officials tried to speak to the man, but he opened fire on them instead, hitting officer Sergei Tanasiichuk in the leg and Officer Alexander Rudyk in the neck; Tanasiichuk's injury was non-life-threatening, but Rudyk died soon after. The authorities withdrew and called in special forces, who cordoned the house and attempted to negotiate with the man all night, ultimately deciding to storm the residence in the morning. During their entry, Officer Andrew Chernyatynskyy was shot and killed. Some reports have suggested a fourth officer was wounded, but these accounts have yet to be clearly substantiated. Ultimately the assailant was shot dead during the operation.

July 26

Magas, Russia: 1 Dead, 4 Injured
At about2 PMpolice responded to a domestic dispute between two families who were debating how a husband and wife should share their apartment and got caught up in the quarrel as it escalated into a shooting. The shooter(s) killed the local chief of police, Isa Yevloyev, and injured four others, two of whom were officers. The injured individuals received treatment; as of publication one of them remained in serious condition, while the status of the others remained less severe yet unknown. Police had not released any information on arrests, suspects, or the circumstances of the attack, although they had opened an official, ongoing criminal investigation into the incident.

July 22

Munich, Germany: 9 dead, 27 injured
At about 6 PM, 18-year-old David Ali Sonboly, a German-Iranian local, opened fire on a group of people near the McDonald's in the Olympia shopping mall with a reactivated 9mm Glock 17 pistol he'd bought on the dark web, likely form Slovakia. He killed nine individuals: 14-year-old girls Armela Segashi, Can Leyla, and Sabina Sulaj, 14-year-old Roberto Rafael, 15-year-old Selcuk Kilic, 17-year-old Hussein Daitzik, 18-year-old Guilliano Kollmann, 21-year-old Dijamant Zabergja, and 45-year-old Sevda Dag. He also injured at least 27 people before ultimately shooting himself in the head near the mall; officials found over 300 bullets in his backpack when they found his body. Although early reports suggested Sonboly might have been one of many attackers operating in and near the mall, it now appears that he acted alone—and had been planning the attack for at least a year. Sonboly's motives were, as of publication, still vague, but he may have acted on an obsession with school shootings, possibly fueled by psychiatric issues from being bullied for which he had received treatment. Authorities are also trying to determine why he targeted these individuals, many of whom he'd lured to the food court via a fake Facebook account created in May through which he offered free food, but none of whom were his classmates despite his obsession with school shootings.

July 2

Zitiste, Serbia: 5 dead, 22 injured
Sometime aftermidnight, a 38-year-old man identified only as Z.S. in official reports saw his ex-wife out with friends at a local café. An argument ensued, and Z.S. left the café, only to return at about1:40 AMwith an illegal Kalashnikov-type automatic rifle—one of thousands of such guns floating around the nation since the wars that engulfed the Balkans during the 1990s. He fired three shots into the air, then targeted his wife and one other woman, shooting them dead on site, before opening random fire on everyone else in the café. The shooter ultimately hit 25 more people (including at least three minors), three of whom died on the way to hospitals in neighboring cities and seven of whom required surgery and were, as of publication, still in critical condition. Z.S. tried to flee the site, but at least one person at the café grabbed his gun and wrestled it away from him. Soon after local police caught up with and apprehended the shooter.

June 23

Ayia Napa, Cyprus: 3 Dead, 2 Injured
At about 10:30 PM an unknown man walked up to a man believed to be Phanos Kalopsidiotis, a local businessman, at the full, touristy Cicero restaurant, and opened fire. The attacker reportedly killed Kalopsidiotis, as well as a police officer and his wife, who were with the businessman, in front of their children. He also injured two others, including one of Kalopsidiotis's guards, who returned fire, killing the attacker as well. Some reports indicate that a second attacker may have been wounded and fled, although this had not been confirmed; as of publication, local authorities were still attempting to control the site and ascertain the situation in an ongoing investigation.

June 5

Moscow, Russia: 0 dead, 4 injured
A dispute between two groups of young men in a restaurant parking lot in the suburb of Mytischi escalated into a shooting in which four men on one side were reported injured. A 24-year-old was in intensive care after suffering a shot to the chest and stab to the shoulder; his friends sustained less severe "non-penetrating" wounds: a 25-year-old was struck in the buttocks and left forearm, while another 25-year-old and a 26-year-old were each struck in the abdomen. As of publication, it appeared that no arrests had been made and police were still investigating the incident.

MAY 22

Nenzig, Austria: 2 dead, 11 injured
According to police, around 3 AM, a 27-year-old man attending an annual (and usually uneventful) outdoor concert and BBQ hosted by "The Lords," a local motorcycle club in a small market town near the Liechtenstein border, got into a heated argument with his girlfriend in a parking lot. He retrieved a rifle (or some other "long gun") from his vehicle, then entered the concert grounds and opened fire seemingly randomly, killing two men, aged 33 and 48, injuring 11 more, and creating a small stampede as about 150 attendees ran for cover in the nearby woods. The shooter did not injure his girlfriend, but after the shooting, he walked back to the parking lot and shot himself dead. Of the 11 people injured, nine remained In the hospital as of publication, with one in critical condition. Investigations into the precise details of the incident were ongoing.

MAY 8

Chelnokhovo, Russia: 5 dead, 0 injured
Around 6 AM local time, a 27-year-old man named Ilya Aseyev was hanging out with four bikers and another man from town in an abandoned brewery when he claims they insulted him in front of a couple of women. Aseyev, who may have been drunk at the time, allegedly left and returned with a gun. He claimed that he fired into the air once, accidentally hitting and killing one biker, after which he killed the others as a logical way to get rid of witnesses. But a competing narrative in the investigation on the attack holds that the suspect killed all the men in their sleep, overlooking one woman sleeping nearby, and sparing a second, whom he forced to drive him home. The women reportedly helped police to identify Aseyev, who was taken into custody for the crime, although investigations were ongoing as of publication.

April 22

Naples, Italy: 2 dead, 3 injured
At about 8:00 PM, a group of six men wearing masks and carrying machine guns and pistols opened fire on a group of people north of the center of town. They killed 42-year-old Giuseppe Vastarella and 41-year-old Salvatore Vigna, and wounded 33-year-old Dario Vastarella, 25-year-old Antonio Vastarella, and 21-year-old Alfredo Bowl, all of whom have been hospitalized and as of publication were in critical condition. Local media reports speculate that this was a targeted attack by the Camorra against the Vastarella family, although there was no official confirmation of this theory as of publication.

April 2

Marseille, France: 3 dead, 3 injured
Around 10:30 PM local time, a shooting broke out in the northern neighborhood of Bassens after what police suspect was a dispute amongst gang members. The gunfire left three dead and three injured, although the exact nature of their wounds and the outlook of the living remain unclear as of the most recent reporting. There has also been no word on any arrests or suspects related to the event.

March 29

Lisbon, Portugal: 0 dead, 5 injured
Shortly before 8 PM local time, a dispute between two Roma families in the Galinheiras neighborhood erupted into gunfire. Three responding police, aged 30 to 40, and two female bystanders were hit in crossfire. All were hospitalized, with one cop and the two civilians in critical condition at first, but ultimately stabilized. Police were active in the area until 12:30 AM, when they demobilized after seizing a shotgun that may have been used in the attack and arresting a suspect linked to the shooting.

MARCH 27

Yakovlevskoye, Russia: 1 dead, 3 injured
After two young men allegedly roughed him up, Alexei Bychkov, a 55-year-old guard described by locals in his community on the edge of Moscow as an ex-soldier with a temper problem, went home, grabbed a gun, returned, and opened fire at around8 PM local time. A man and woman sustained minor injuries and refused hospitalization, but 26-year-old Vadim Krechetov, a local football star, died of his wounds on his way to the hospital, and another 39-year-old man remained in critical condition as of the latest reporting. Police apprehended Bychkov in his apartment, where they found multiple guns with lapsed license. He is being held in jail and has been charged with murder and attempted murder against two or more individuals.

March 25

London, United Kingdom: 0 dead, 5 injured
At about 1:50 PM local time, a moving vehicle opened fire on a residential street by a soccer field, striking and hospitalizing five people, of whom one was in critical condition. London's gang crime unit was investigating the attack, although at the time of publication they had yet to establish a motive, and had released no information on suspects.

March 15

Brussels, Belgium: 0 dead, 4 injured
Four Belgian cops working alongside two French police officers in a search related to the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks came under fire at an ostensibly abandoned apartment complex around 2:15 PM local time. Over the course of an approximately three-hour-long siege, four officers—including one Frenchwoman—were injured; two have been released from the hospital already, while two more were recovering from non-life-threatening injuries at the time of reporting. One attacker, identified as 35-year-old illegal Algerian immigrant Mohamed Belkaid, was shot by police and found dead with a Kalashnikov rifle nearby, while two suspects were still believed to be at large. Although the hideout in the city's Forest neighborhood contained what prosecutors said was a radical Islamic text and a cache of ammunition, it was not immediately clear whether the people living there had any connection to last fall's attacks.

March 13

Vahrenheide, Germany: 1 dead, 5 injured
At about 10:20 PM, a 22-year-old man opened fire at a Kurdish wedding in an event center, hitting a 21-year-old woman and five other guests. The woman later succumbed to her wounds in the hospital; it's unclear what the condition of the other wounded individuals may be. The shooter, who may have been a guest at the wedding, remained at large at the time of reporting.

February 24

Nice, France: 0 dead; 4 injured
At about 11 PM, a car reportedly drove up to a gated house and opened fire on the residents within. Four individuals were wounded and hospitalized, and it remained unclear if police quickly apprehended the perpetrators.

February 22

Tyumen, Russia: 0 dead; 4 injured
After a bouncer reportedly refused to hold a drunken man's drink at a club called Mojito, telling him to go home instead, the patron returned with a few friends and at least two handguns. They opened fire at the offending doorman, shooting three guards and one nearby club-goer in the torso and legs. All of the victims are expected to survive and the assailants—one of whom was hospitalized alongside the shooting victims, with a concussion—have been detained.

February 4

Loures, Portugal: 0 dead; 5 injured
At 5:45 PM local time, shots were reportedly fired after a fight broke out in Serra da Luz. Three men and two women—apparently passers-by uninvolved in the dispute—sustained minor injuries. Investigations are ongoing, but no shooters have been identified.

February 3

Odessa, Ukraine: 0 dead; 4 injured
At around 11 PM local time, four security guards came under fire while at a shop on their patrol route. The unknown assailant(s) wounded all of the officers—who were hospitalized—in the chest, abdomen, and/or legs, fleeing before police arrived on the scene.

January 31

Shlisselburg, Russia: 2 dead, 3 injured
Bystanders report that at 8 PM a group of four men of Armenian origin or descent arrived at a garage owned by a local Armenian-born entrepreneur in Shisselburg, Russia. In what's being described as a financial dispute turned violent, the four visitors opened fire on seven people in the garage, killing 59-year-old Grair Vardanyan and 44-year-old Pushkin Armen Khurshudyan on the spot; 26-year-old Vakhtang Sargsyan suffered a chest wound, while a 50-year-old with the last name Hakobyan suffered a head wound, and a third unknown man was also hospitalized.

January 14

Marseilles, France: 0 dead, 6 injured
Reports of a shooting late at night outside a grocer's shop in Marseilles, France, led police to a few scattered shells and blood. They found six injured men between the ages of 19 and 31 nearby—one of them the store's manager. Two of the men were seriously wounded.

January 2

Miass, Russia: 4 dead, 1 injured
Following what was reported as a dispute at a private home in Miass, Russia, a man allegedly opened fire with his hunting rifle on others at the house. When police arrived, they found three men and one woman dead and another man with a gunshot to his hand.

Total so far: 53 dead, 169 injured

America's mass shooting tracker can be found here.