US mass shootings: 10 deadliest rampages of the past decade

The recent mass shooting at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina is the latest in a string of horrific mass killings in the US. IBTimes UK looks back at the 10 deadliest shooting rampages in the US in the past decade.

21 March 2005: Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota

Sixteen-year-old Jeffrey Weise, of Red Lake Indian Reservation, killed his grandparents on 21 March 2005 before going on a rampage at his high school. Weise blasted into Red Lake High School and fatally shot a security guard, five students and a teacher. The teen injured several others before shooting himself in the face.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Weise's body was found near those of his victims. In total, nine people died and seven were injured.

2 October 2006: Amish Schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania

On 2 October 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV burst into a one-room Amish Schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania with a 9-millimeter semiautomatic weapon. Roberts ordered an adult woman and 15 boys to leave. One girl managed to escape the schoolhouse with her brother, but 10 girls, ages 6 to 13, were left behind.

Roberts blocked off windows and bound the girls's legs together before shooting into the backs of the girls's heads as police surrounded him. The father of three then turned the gun on himself before he was captured by police.

Five died in the shooting and five were injured.

16 April 2007: Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia

Twenty-three-year-old Virginia Tech Seung-hui Cho opened fire in two separate buildings on campus. Cho killed 32 people in a dorm and an academic building in the two attacks, which were over two hours apart.

Police said that Cho that first killed two at West Ambler Johnston dormitory at 7.15am. He then shot and killed 30 others at Norris Hall before turning the gun on himself. According to the LA Times, 17 others were injured in the massive attack.

3 April 2009: Binghamton, New York

Forty-two-year-old Jiverly Voong opened fire at the American Civil Association, which had recently filled up for an English class and citizenship exams. The Vietnamese immigrant shot and killed 13 people and injured four others before committing suicide.

A receptionist, who was shot in the stomach, was able to pretend to be dead and call authorities.

5 November 2009: Fort Hood, Texas

US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a military psychiatrist, opened fire at Fort Hood, where he was based. Hasan, who was scheduled to be deployed to Iraq, had complained of harassment for being Muslim, his family told reporters.

The 39-year-old shot and killed 13 people at the Army base, injuring another 32 during his rampage. Hasan, who was captured following the massacre, was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder on 23 August 2013, CNN reported.

8 January 2011: Tucson, Arizona

The nation was shocked as reports revealed that Jared Lee Loughner shot Arizona Representative Grabrielle Giffords in the head during a grocery store meet-and-greet. The 22-year-old killed six people and wounded another 11.

Giffords survived the rampage and went on to promote stricter gun control. The former congresswoman and several victims of the shooting were able to confront Loughner in court, before he was sentenced to serve seven consecutive life terms and 140 years, the Washington Post reported.

20 July 2012: Century 16 Movie Theatre in Aurora, Colorado

During a premiere showing of The Dark Knight Rises, 24-year-old James Holmes opened fired into the crowded cinema. Wearing an armored vest, throat protector, groin protector, a gas mask and a ballistics helmet, Holmes killed 12 people and injured 58 others.

Police said Holmes was arrested in the car park near his white Hyundai, which had several weapons. According to CNN, the gunman was armed with an AR-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and at least two .40-caliber handguns. Holmes faces trial for the murder of 12 people in Colorado.

14 December 2012: Newtown, Connecticut

On 14 December, just days before Christmas, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother at home before going on a shooting rampage. Lanza, who allegedly suffered from mental illness, burst into Sandy Hook Elementary School, shot and killed 20 first graders and six adults.

Afterwards, Lanza killed himself at the elementary school, which he had attended as a child.

16 September 2013: Washington, DC

At around 8.15am at the Navy Yard, Aaron Alexis began shooting in a rampage that ended in a firefight with police. Alexis, a Navy contractor, shot and killed 13 and injured another 3 more. The two hour massacre ended with Alexis being shot and killed by police.

17 June 2015: Charleston, South Carolina

Police have identified Dylan Storm Roof as the leading suspect in the shooting that left nine dead at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina.