A shooting last weekend at a children’s birthday party in California that left four dead was the 17th mass killing this year — the lowest number recorded since 2006, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

What You Need To Know

Seventeen mass killings have occurred this year in the U.S., the lowest since 2006

Experts say this probably isn't the start of a bigger trend, and is more likely a return to average levels after spikes in 2018 and 2019

Mass killings, defined as incidents where four or more people are killed, are tracked by a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University

James Densley, a professor, notes that small changes can appear

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