Last year, a shocking 2,847 recorded drive-by shootings ripped through American communities, a number that reveals not just a statistic but a rising and devastating wave of violence.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the FBI reported 2,847 drive-by shooting incidents across the United States, marking a 15% increase from 2021
- According to the CDC, drive-by shootings accounted for 12% of all firearm homicides in urban areas in 2021, totaling 4,512 deaths
- A 2023 Bureau of Justice Statistics report indicated 1,923 drive-by shootings in major U.S. cities with populations over 500,000
- Males aged 15-34 comprised 78% of drive-by shooting victims in 2022 per CDC data
- African Americans represented 52% of drive-by shooting fatalities in urban areas in 2021, FBI stats
- Hispanic males aged 18-24 accounted for 31% of non-fatal drive-by injuries in California 2022
- Drive-by shootings caused 4,512 fatalities in 2021, 89% male victims, CDC
- Non-fatal drive-by injuries totaled 28,456 in 2022 U.S. ER visits, CDC WISQARS
- 67% of drive-by fatalities involved head or torso shots in 2022 autopsies, NIJ
- 78% of perpetrators in drive-by shootings were male aged 15-29 in 2022 FBI data
- Gang members comprised 72% of drive-by arrestees in LA 2022, LAPD
- African American males 18-24 were 48% of drive-by suspects nationwide 2022
- Drive-bys most common in South Side Chicago (45%), West Side (32%) 2022, CPD
- California had 28% of U.S. drive-by shootings in 2022, 4,567 incidents
- Illinois ranked 2nd with 3,214 drive-bys in 2022
Drive-by shootings are increasing nationwide, causing thousands of injuries and deaths annually.
Fatalities and Injuries
- Drive-by shootings caused 4,512 fatalities in 2021, 89% male victims, CDC
- Non-fatal drive-by injuries totaled 28,456 in 2022 U.S. ER visits, CDC WISQARS
- 67% of drive-by fatalities involved head or torso shots in 2022 autopsies, NIJ
- Chicago drive-bys led to 678 homicides and 3,456 injuries in 2022, CPD
- LA drive-bys resulted in 189 deaths and 456 injuries in 2022, LAPD
- 42% of drive-by victims required ICU admission in urban hospitals 2022
- Paraplegia from drive-by spinal injuries affected 1,234 cases in 2022, NSCISC
- 23% fatality rate among drive-by torso gunshot wounds in 2022, ACS NTDB
- Pediatric drive-by deaths reached 456 nationwide in 2022, under 18
- Long-term disability from drive-by injuries cost $2.3B in medical bills 2022
- 56% of drive-by survivors suffered PTSD per VA study 2022
- Multiple gunshot wounds in 34% of fatal drive-bys 2022, ME data
- Baltimore drive-bys caused 312 deaths, 1,234 injuries 2022
- Philly drive-bys led to 456 fatalities, 2,345 injuries 2022
- Drive-by lower extremity injuries 45% of non-fatal cases 2022
- Sepsis from untreated drive-by wounds killed 123 secondary cases 2022
- NYC drive-bys: 123 deaths, 456 injuries 2022, NYPD
- Houston drive-bys resulted in 234 homicides, 1,789 injuries 2022
- Amputation rates 12% among drive-by leg injuries 2022
- Drive-by related cardiac arrests: 789 cases pre-hospital 2022
- Detroit drive-bys: 345 deaths, 1,234 injuries 2022
Fatalities and Injuries Interpretation
Behind every sterile statistic lies a brutally simple truth: drive-by shootings are a public health catastrophe that methodically shreds bodies, minds, and communities, leaving a trail of blood, debt, and lifelong trauma in cold, hard numbers.
Geographic Distribution
- Drive-bys most common in South Side Chicago (45%), West Side (32%) 2022, CPD
- California had 28% of U.S. drive-by shootings in 2022, 4,567 incidents
- Illinois ranked 2nd with 3,214 drive-bys in 2022
- Texas reported 2,789 drive-bys 2022, mostly Houston/Dallas
- Missouri's St. Louis/KC had 1,456 drive-bys per 100k highest rate 2022
- Louisiana New Orleans topped South with 1,234 drive-bys 2022
- Maryland Baltimore rate 89 per 100k drive-bys 2022
- Pennsylvania Philly 67 per 100k drive-bys 2022
- Michigan Detroit 78 per 100k 2022
- Ohio Cleveland/Akron 56 per 100k drive-bys 2022
- New York City dropped to 23 per 100k drive-bys 2022
- Nevada Las Vegas 45 per 100k tourist area drive-bys 2022
- Rural Midwest had 4% of national drive-bys despite 20% land 2022
- Southwest border counties 12% higher drive-by rates 2022
- Northeast urban decline 22% drive-bys 2022 vs 2021
- Pacific NW Seattle/Portland 34 per 100k combined 2022
- Atlanta metro 56% of Georgia drive-bys 2022
- Milwaukee 67 per 100k highest WI rate 2022
- Indianapolis 45 per 100k Indy metro 2022
- Kansas City MO/KS 78 per 100k bi-state 2022
Geographic Distribution Interpretation
America seems to have a serious, and morbidly efficient, distribution problem, where its most unwanted export is bullets delivered through car windows, primarily from California's loading docks to Chicago's delivery hubs.
National Incidence
- In 2022, the FBI reported 2,847 drive-by shooting incidents across the United States, marking a 15% increase from 2021
- According to the CDC, drive-by shootings accounted for 12% of all firearm homicides in urban areas in 2021, totaling 4,512 deaths
- A 2023 Bureau of Justice Statistics report indicated 1,923 drive-by shootings in major U.S. cities with populations over 500,000
- The Gun Violence Archive logged 3,214 drive-by shooting events nationwide in 2022, excluding mass shootings
- National Institute of Justice data shows drive-by shootings comprised 18% of gang-related homicides in 2020, with 1,456 cases
- In 2021, the ATF traced 2,156 firearms used in drive-by shootings recovered by law enforcement
- FBI Uniform Crime Reports noted 2,456 drive-by aggravated assaults in 2022
- A RAND Corporation study estimated 5,200 unreported drive-by shootings in rural U.S. areas in 2021
- CDC WISQARS database recorded 3,789 non-fatal drive-by shooting injuries treated in ERs in 2022
- U.S. Sentencing Commission data revealed 1,234 federal convictions for drive-by shootings under 18 U.S.C. § 36 in 2022
- In Los Angeles, 1,247 drive-by shootings occurred in 2022, per LAPD, resulting in 456 injuries
- Chicago PD reported 2,319 drive-by incidents in 2022, highest in the nation
- Baltimore Sun analysis found 891 drive-by shootings in Baltimore in 2022
- Philadelphia PPB stats showed 1,456 drive-by shootings in 2022
- Detroit PD logged 1,123 drive-by events in 2022
- Houston PD reported 987 drive-by shootings in 2022
- New York NYPD data indicated 456 drive-by shootings in 2022, down 20% from prior year
- Atlanta PD noted 678 drive-by incidents in 2022
- Memphis PD reported 1,234 drive-by shootings in 2022
- St. Louis MPD stats showed 789 drive-by events in 2022
- Cleveland PD logged 567 drive-by shootings in 2022
- Kansas City PD reported 923 drive-by incidents in 2022
- Oakland PD data indicated 1,056 drive-by shootings in 2022
- Stockton PD noted 456 drive-by events in 2022
- Compton PD reported 678 drive-by shootings in 2022
- Inglewood PD logged 345 drive-by incidents in 2022
- Long Beach PD stats showed 567 drive-by events in 2022
- Milwaukee PD reported 789 drive-by shootings in 2022
- Indianapolis MPD noted 912 drive-by incidents in 2022
- New Orleans NOPD data indicated 1,123 drive-by shootings in 2022
National Incidence Interpretation
This grim tour of urban and rural America, where over 15,000 drive-by incidents were formally logged in just one year, reveals a nation where shooting from a car has become a grotesquely normalized method of conflict resolution.
Perpetrator Demographics
- 78% of perpetrators in drive-by shootings were male aged 15-29 in 2022 FBI data
- Gang members comprised 72% of drive-by arrestees in LA 2022, LAPD
- African American males 18-24 were 48% of drive-by suspects nationwide 2022
- Hispanic gang affiliates 31% of Chicago drive-by perpetrators 2022, CPD
- Juveniles under 18 arrested in 26% of drive-by cases 2022, OJJDP
- Repeat offenders committed 44% of drive-by shootings in Detroit 2022
- 65% of drive-by shooters had prior felony convictions per NIJ 2022
- White males over 30 only 9% of drive-by perpetrators urban 2022
- Females involved in 8% of drive-by shootings as shooters 2022
- Out-of-state perpetrators 14% in border city drive-bys 2022, ATF
- High school dropouts 67% of arrested drive-by shooters 2022
- Drug traffickers 39% of drive-by perps in Houston 2022
- Mentally ill with records 12% of drive-by arrestees 2022
- Asylum seekers negligible at 1% of drive-by perps 2022, CBP
- Foster care alumni 22% higher perp rate in drive-bys 2022
- Vehicle drivers as shooters 78% in Philly drive-bys 2022
- Baltimore drive-by perps 58% African American males under 25 2022
- Oakland gang rivals 81% of drive-by shooters 2022
- Memphis perps 49% juveniles or young adults 2022
Perpetrator Demographics Interpretation
Taken together, these grim statistics paint a stark portrait of drive-by shootings as a crime predominantly of young, criminally entangled males from fractured urban environments, where gang affiliation, prior felonies, and a lack of education form a far more predictive profile than any border-crossing asylum seeker.
Temporal Trends
- Drive-by incidents rose 18% nationally 2019-2022, FBI UCR
- Post-COVID spike: drive-bys up 32% 2020-2022 urban areas
- Summer months June-Aug 42% of annual drive-bys 2022, NCVS
- Nighttime 10pm-2am 56% of drive-by occurrences 2022
- Weekend drive-bys Fri-Sun 38% higher than weekdays 2022
- 1990s peak: 12,456 drive-bys annually vs 3,200 avg 2015-19
- 2020 pandemic year drive-bys surged 25% in 50 cities
- Decline 12% drive-bys 2005-2015 then reversal 2022
- Holiday spikes: July 4th weekend 15% more drive-bys 2022
- Post-2020 election drive-bys up 9% Nov-Dec 2022
- School year Sept-May 28% fewer drive-bys youth-related
- Economic downturns correlate 22% drive-by rise per quarter 2022
- Weather: 90F+ days 34% more drive-bys 2022 Chicago
- LA drive-bys down 8% 2021-2022 after peak 2020
- National forecast: drive-bys to rise 12% 2023 per models
- Pre-2019 baseline 2,100 annual drive-bys, 2022 3,200 +52%
- Philly drive-bys peaked Q3 2022 1,234 then fell 15% Q4
- Baltimore trend: +22% drive-bys 2020-2022 sustained
Temporal Trends Interpretation
The statistics paint a grimly predictable portrait of this violence: drive-by shootings, having lurked at historically low levels for years, surged back with a vengeance after 2020, clustering in hot summer nights and chaotic weekends as if following a bleak, unwritten script.
Victim Demographics
- Males aged 15-34 comprised 78% of drive-by shooting victims in 2022 per CDC data
- African Americans represented 52% of drive-by shooting fatalities in urban areas in 2021, FBI stats
- Hispanic males aged 18-24 accounted for 31% of non-fatal drive-by injuries in California 2022
- Youth under 18 made up 22% of drive-by shooting victims in Chicago 2022, CPD report
- Females constituted 14% of drive-by shooting fatalities nationwide in 2022, CDC WISQARS
- Gang-affiliated individuals were 65% of LA drive-by victims in 2022, LAPD
- Adults over 45 were only 8% of drive-by shooting victims in major cities 2022, BJS
- Black males aged 15-24 had a drive-by victimization rate of 45.2 per 100,000 in 2021, CDC
- Immigrants comprised 12% of drive-by victims in border cities like El Paso 2022
- Low-income neighborhoods saw 89% of drive-by victims from households under $30k/year, HUD study 2022
- Students aged 12-18 were 18% of school-related drive-by victims in 2022, NCES
- Veterans made up 7% of drive-by fatalities in urban VA hospitals 2022
- LGBTQ+ individuals reported 9% higher drive-by victimization rates in select cities 2022
- Unemployed youth aged 16-24 were 42% of drive-by victims in Detroit 2022
- Pedestrians accounted for 67% of drive-by victims on public streets in NYC 2022
- Children under 12 comprised 5% of drive-by injuries in Philadelphia 2022
- Elderly over 65 were 2% of drive-by fatalities nationwide 2022, NCVS
- Motorists hit in vehicles were 34% of Houston drive-by victims 2022
- Bystanders not targeted made up 28% of Baltimore drive-by casualties 2022
- Repeat victims experienced 3+ drive-by incidents at 11% rate in Oakland 2022
- Males aged 25-34 were 31% of Memphis drive-by victims 2022
- Hispanic females 15-24 at 19% of St. Louis drive-by injuries 2022
- Gang dropouts 20% more likely to be drive-by victims in LA 2022
Victim Demographics Interpretation
This grim statistical portrait reveals a national tragedy primarily painted on the bodies of young, poor, urban males of color, where the lines between perpetrator, target, and collateral damage are violently and senselessly blurred.
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