Report on mass attacks details 'targeted acts of violence'
The U.S. Secret Service on Thursday released its annual assessment on mass attacks in the country.
The report, "Mass Attacks in Public Spaces 2019," looked at 34 episodes of targeted violence across the U.S. that occurred between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 in which at least three people were injured.
The attacks that fit those criteria were carried out by 37 attackers in 21 states.
Of these, 59% of them (20 attacks) took place at public sites _ or spaces that are easily accessible to the general population, such as sidewalks, restaurants, retail stores and a gas station.
The remaining 41% (14 attacks) were carried out at semi-public sites, including workplaces, schools, houses of worship, and military bases.
In total, 175 people were injured and 108 were killed, according to the report.
Among the key findings, the agency's National Threat Assessment Center found that most of the attackers in 2019 used firearms _ nearly half of which were possessed illegally.
About two-thirds of mass attackers "exhibited behavior that elicited concern in others."
Many of them also "had recently experienced" similar contributing factors, such as unemployment, mental health symptoms or substance abuse.
Attackers often had a history of prior criminal charges or arrests, including episodes of domestic violence, according to the report.
_New York Daily News
