Murder-suicides are a shockingly common form of gun violence in the United States — an estimated 10 such incidents each week. VPC research has found that nearly 1,200 Americans die in murder-suicides each year. Nine out of 10 murder-suicides involve a gun. In nearly two-thirds of all murder-suicides, an intimate partner of the shooter is among the victims.
No comprehensive national database or tracking system exists to systematically document the toll in death and injury of murder-suicides in the United States. In order to more fully understand the human costs of these incidents, the VPC began collecting and analyzing news reports of murder-suicides, resulting in a series of studies titled American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States. The VPC has published eight editions of this study.
Publications
American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States (8th edition) (October 2023)
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For past editions of American Roulette, see the links below.
American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States (7th edition) (July 2020)
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American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States (6th edition) (June 2018)
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American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States (5th edition) (October 2015)
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American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States (4th edition) (May 2012)
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American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States (3rd edition) (April 2008)
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American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States (2nd edition) (May 2006)
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American Roulette: The Untold Story of Murder-Suicide in the United States (April 2002)
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