Defining Violence: Mass Murder

Mass Murder

Mass Murder is typically defined as the murder of four or more persons, often simultaneously, within a short period of time and in close geographic proximity.

The key difference here is that Mass Murder involves the death of a minimum of four persons, perhaps not unsurprisingly given the use of the term mass. The FBI defines Mass Murder as: “Murdering four or more persons during an event with no “cooling-off period” between the murders.”

There is once again the issue discussed earlier regarding what constitutes a short period of time, most incidences of mass murder occur relatively quickly and typically within a 24 hour period. The use of explosives can generate a mass murder event within milliseconds.

There have been numerous incidences of mass murder motivated by political and religious belief. In this article I will focus on those who act ostensibly as individuals separate from any larger organisation or fraction.

Unlike Spree Killers or Serial Killers, Mass Murderers typically kill all their victims in one location, or within close geographic proximity. This definitional designation is problematic for those who utilise two locations to enact their murderous intentions e.g. Anders Breivik who killed 8 people in Oslo with a bomb before killing 69 on the Island of Utoya. Breivik is considered to be an example of a Mass Murderer; his victims though selected at random were targeted due to an association with the Norwegian Labour Party.