Which 2010s and 2020s mass shootings were explicitly motivated by white supremacist or neo-Nazi beliefs?
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Executive summary
Several high-profile mass shootings in the 2010s and 2020s were explicitly motivated by white supremacist or neo‑Nazi beliefs, including the 2015 Charleston church massacre (Dylann Roof), the 2019 El Paso Walmart attack (Patrick Crusius), the 2022 Buffalo supermarket massacre (Payton Gendron) and multiple 2023 incidents such as the Allen, Texas mall shooting (Mauricio Garcia) — each tied by investigators or reporting to racial, white‑supremacist or neo‑Nazi ideology [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. ADL and mainstream news reports say white supremacists accounted for a disproportionate share of extremist‑linked mass‑killing deaths in recent years, with right‑wing actors driving all extremist mass killings identified in 2022 [6] [7] [8].
1. The clear cases: manifesto, symbols and statements
Some attacks left unambiguous evidence: Dylann Roof owned a website and manifesto and displayed neo‑Nazi symbols; authorities and civil‑society monitors labelled him a white supremacist after he killed nine at Emanuel AME Church in 2015 [1] [9]. The El Paso shooter published an explicitly racist manifesto invoking the “great replacement” theory and cited other far‑right attackers as inspiration; reporting links that attack to white‑supremacist ideology [2] [10]. The Buffalo shooter authored a 180‑page document framing the attack as targeted racial terror and referencing the same conspiracy themes [3] [11]. Those documents and symbols provide firm grounds for classifying these as ideologically motivated attacks [1] [2] [3].
2. 2022–2023: a spike in white‑supremacist‑linked mass killings
ADL’s and news analyses show that in 2022 and parts of 2023 extremist mass‑killing fatalities were heavily concentrated among right‑wing and white‑supremacist perpetrators; the ADL found all extremist killings identified in 2022 were linked to right‑wing extremism and that white supremacists accounted for an unusually high share of those deaths [8] [7]. Reporting also flagged the Colorado Springs nightclub attack and the Buffalo supermarket massacre as among those driving the totals [8].
3. Ambiguous and investigatory cases: symbols vs. motive
Not every attacker with racist symbols or online posts is categorized instantly as a fully organized neo‑Nazi operative; investigators often describe “ideation” or “fascination” with Nazi imagery while continuing formal motive probes. For example, authorities said the Allen, Texas mall gunman showed “neo‑Nazi ideation” and had Nazi tattoos and online posts praising white‑supremacist imagery, language that reporters and officials used to describe his motivation even as probes continued [5] [12] [13]. Local law enforcement sometimes emphasizes ongoing investigation before final motive rulings [12].
4. Broader datasets: patterns, not every event
Researchers and watchdogs caution that while white supremacists have driven many high‑death extremist incidents recently, not all mass shootings are ideologically motivated; databases show varied motives across retail, workplace and interpersonal mass shootings [14] [15]. The ADL’s analysis focuses on extremist‑linked killings and finds white supremacy disproportionately represented among that subset, especially in 2022 [6] [16].
5. International and historical echoes: neo‑Nazi networks and inspiration
Multiple reports document how attackers cited earlier mass killers and transnational “great replacement” rhetoric — notably Brenton Tarrant and Anders Breivik — showing ideological mentorship across borders and years; that pattern links several 2010s‑2020s attacks to broader neo‑Nazi and white‑supremacist ecosystems [2] [16]. Analysts and law enforcement have warned this cross‑referencing and online grooming helps radicalize individuals to carry out mass attacks [17] [16].
6. What sources agree on — and where reporting differs
Polled sources uniformly flag Charleston, El Paso and Buffalo as white‑supremacist‑motivated; ADL and major news outlets spell out a spike in right‑wing extremism in 2022–23 [1] [2] [3] [8]. Reporting differs in language and certainty for some later events: officials sometimes say “neo‑Nazi ideation” or “appears motivated by hatred” while investigative work continues [12] [5] [18]. Available sources do not mention a definitive, exhaustive list of every 2010s‑2020s mass shooting with explicit white‑supremacist motive.
7. Why this matters: policy and prevention implications
Experts cited in ADL and news reports argue that white‑supremacist propaganda, online radicalization and the recycling of manifestos have increased the lethality and frequency of ideologically motivated mass killings, prompting calls for targeted monitoring, deradicalization efforts and platform accountability — themes emphasized in the ADL reporting and follow‑up coverage [16] [8].
Limitations: this summary draws only on the supplied reporting and watchdog documents; available sources do not provide a fully comprehensive, definitive catalog of every massacre in the 2010s–2020s that was explicitly white‑supremacist motivated, nor do they settle motive in every case mentioned [6] [8].